


Hogwarts And The Last Defense

by RudeAndGinger413



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Supernatural
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-25 00:30:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 36
Words: 70,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20367649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RudeAndGinger413/pseuds/RudeAndGinger413
Summary: Harry Potter universe with some Supernatural characters (Dean, Sam, and Castiel so far) mixed in. Dean, Sam, and Castiel are all the newest teachers at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The problem? They don't know magic





	1. Pilot

_Hello everyone! This is going to take place after Deathly Hallows (the book, not the movie) and not really a particular season in Supernatural. It should be fairly simple to follow and I am always taking suggestions! Read on, my little nerds._

**Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry**

"The curse's been lifted, but I still can't find a professor for the defense Against the Dark Arts position. Nobody trusts it." Neville Longbottom said in defeat as he mulled through pieces of parchment with notes of polite decline. Minerva McGonagall sighed and rubbed her temples, deep in thought. It was August 24th and they were still in need of a professor in time to show them the castle. She reached into the pocket of her emerald robes and drew out a note with looped, elegant script. On it was three names followed by two American phone numbers. She handed it off to Neville, whose brow furrowed in confusion at the lack of explanation.

"Dumbledore left this to me in case I absolutely could not find someone to fill the position. It is a last resort, due to the circumstances of their lack of magical knowledge. They have been cleared by the Ministry to keep the secret, though they do not know that."

"But why would they come teach if they know nothing about magic?" Neville asked, his confusion still prevalent in both his expression and the tone of his voice.

McGonagall looked up and met her colleague's eyes. There was something in her eyes that Neville couldn't quite decipher. "Because we have no other options."

**A Small Motel In The Middle Of Alabama**

Dean Winchester washed the blood off his hands as his brother Sam cut up a copy of their fake FBI cards, getting them ready to burn. "ID cards are gone, I'll make up new ones tomorrow."

"Yeah that was a sloppy hunt. Why can't anything just go smoothly anymore? It's like after finding out about how awful most angels are, our hunts always go south." Dean dried his hands on the pale yellow, scratchy towels that all motels seem to have. He walked out of the bathroom, shrugged off his leather jacket, and sat on one of the two beds. "And where's Cas? I haven't seen him since-"

Dean was cut off by the flutter of wings and looked towards the door. Castiel stood there in his typical tan trenchcoat, white button up shirt, and black trousers. The blue tie around his neck was loosened and tied wrong, only further accenting his lazy-accountant look.

"Hello Dean." Cas said in his usual gravelly voice. He looked like he was going to greet Sam next, but he was cut off by the sound of one of the burner phone going off. Sam picked it up and walked out of the motel room, leaving Dean and Cas to an awkward silence. Dean took this opportunity to take several long swigs of beer to fill the quiet. Several long minutes passed before Sam came back into the room with a rather odd face.

"What's wrong? Smell something foul?" Dean asked jokingly, but Sam's face cut his quip short.

"I got just a call from a school. In Britain. Asking us to teach." Sam said in disbelief.

**A WEEK LATER**

"Couldn't you have just angel mojo'd us there, Cas?" Dean asked through clenched teeth as the airplane started down the runway.

"The lady-McGonalgo something-said we would have to take a train with the kids and other teachers." Sam said in exasperation. He had been dealing with his brother's whining and complaining about Sam's lack of information, but they all agreed that the pay was honest enough and interesting. Castiel was strangely excited about the prospect of teaching, even if they didn't quite know what they were up against.

"Look, Dean! Look how far up we are going! We are really flying!" Cas was almost vibrating with his face pressed to the window of the plane. Sam looked over Cas and Dean to see Atlanta's sunset as they started over the Atlantic to the Luton Airport in England. Cas immediately called dibs on the window seat, so Sam ended up in the worst seat possible for an 8 hour flight- the aisle seat. After a half hour of listening to Castiel's theories on the centre of gravity having an effect on flight time and Dean's increasing anxiety, Sam ended up dosing both with sleeping pills. Cas's head fell down to Dean's shoulder, prompting Sam to put a blanket over them and take a picture for future blackmail evidence.


	2. Meet The New Boss

**Luton Airport, London**

The three Americans rushed their way through the bustling airport, following the bright yellow "Baggage Reclaim" signs. Their flight was an hour later than expected so Dean had to drag Castiel away from the Crunchie bar display, a candy promising the perfect blend of honey and chocolate. Sam was worried that they might miss the meeting with their new employer since she specified to meet at baggage claim as soon as the plane landed. Since they didn't know who exactly this woman was, it was unanimously agreed on that they should not be late. When they entered the baggage reclaim at Luton Airport, they saw a sizable group of people anxiously waiting to see friends and family. Dean looked around, unsure of what to do next.

"So how are we going to know who this MacGonald chick is?" Dean asked Sam, who was searching the crowd. The younger brother refused to look his sibling in the eyes. He knew about Dean was extremely skeptical about this whole trip and that the only reason he came was because of Cas' excitement over the prospect of teaching. Sam felt like this would be a good experience for them all, but even he couldn't deny the growing feeling of panic setting in.

"She told me that she would be wearing green robes…" Sam's voice trailed off when he saw Dean's face.

"Robes?! Like...bath robes? We came all this way, I flew on a plane, and we're going to take a job teaching from a woman in a bath robe?" The green-eyed hunter leaned against the wall and ran his hand over his face and through his hair. He was still having anxiety issues over the fact that they came across the ocean with nothing more than two phone calls and three plane tickets. What if this was all some elaborate trap that they were just walking into? None of them had even heard of a school called Hogwarts and the woman on the phone refused to tell them where it was located other than just "near London". She had actually refused to tell them anything useful besides where to pick up the tickets, which struck a suspicious chord in an already skeptical Dean.

"I believe that in Britain, "robes" are like American cloaks, but with sleeves." A rough voice belonging to Castiel voiced this fact as Sam checked his cell phone. As the crowd thinned, a distinguished looking older woman wearing moss green robes and half moon spectacles that she peered over to look at the American trio.

"You must be the Winchesters and Castiel. I thank you for coming. I am Professor McGonagall, Headmistress at Hogwarts."


	3. The Leaky Cauldron (That’s In London)

**Diagon Alley**

"This is where you three will be staying, The Leaky Cauldron. I managed to get two joint rooms, a hard feat seeing as the school year starts tomorrow." The building in front of them was old and rundown, with vines growing through the broken windows while rodents nibbled on the wooden door. They stood on Charing Cross Road, an old street populated with broken glass and a thick coat of grime.

Sam and Dean looked to the shabby building, then to each other. Variations of the same thought were floating around their minds when Castiel spoke up.

"It looks very nice, Professor." The trenchcoat-clad angel approached the inn and opened up the door. Sam and Dean gasped at the dim light that leaked out into the street, for they were sure that the building had been abandoned for years. Cas and the Professor walked straight in while Sam and Dean exchanged wide-eyed glances. When it became obvious that neither wanted to walk into the inn, they started fumbling to shove the other into the door first. Dean won and forced his younger brother inside.

Sam stopped and tried to take in the impossible sights that fell before him. Dean noticed his hesitation and stuck his head through the door, only to stop as well. The "Leaky Cauldron" was full of people ranging from height to weight, from color to gender, rich and poor. In the corner, a woman sat with another and you could hear they were fighting about the rising amount of hippogriffs in Bulgaria. What a "hippogriff" was, Dean didn't know, but the two looked quite heated. When he looked to a table to his left, an older man sat alone reading a paper titled as "The Daily Prophet". The odd thing about the newspaper was that the pictures moved, surrounded by swirling font. The headlines didn't make sense, as they read "Vampires Demand More Rights" and "How To Properly Dispose Of Dangerous Potions". They knew enough about vampires, but potions? And since when were vampires in any position to demand rights? This all felt like some weird dream after being knocked out by a couple bottles of whiskey.

Sam and Dean were so busy taking in all the sights and sounds of the little pub, they didn't notice Castiel and the Professor walking through the crowd to a blonde woman who looked to be a bit younger than Sam.

Several minutes later, Professor McGonagall had the three men sitting in a booth with a butterbeer for each of them.

"The school you are going to be teaching at, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is a very special place," She began. "The witches you hunt are nothing like the ones at this school." Dean took a large swallow gulp of the cool, smooth drink as he processed this information, unable to believe that there were that many "good" witches and wizards in the world, let alone one place.

"How could they not be like the ones we hunt? We hunt witches, plain and simple, and you want us to teach them?" Dean asked. McGonagall's face kept its composure as she thought up a response.

"These witches and wizards are from the ages of 11 to 18, which means that you three have the chance to help them use their powers for good. We want you two," She nods to Sam and Dean, "To teach Defense Against The Dark Arts. This position will show the students how to protect themselves against dark magic as well as anything dangerous they might encounter." She then turned to Castiel, who sat quietly, watching the exchange with interest. "And the school is offering the position of Muggle Religions and Their Theology to you, Mr. Castiel, due to your obvious experience."

"What makes you think we are qualified? There must be someone more...equipped to do this? Someone from your world?" Sam asked gently.

"Yeah and how'd you even find out about us?" Dean added.

"Is "Muggle" a term I should be familiar with?" Castiel asked Dean as his puzzled face tilted to one side.

Professor McGonagall sat calmly. She had anticipated these questions and had already formed answers for them. "I will be honest with you, because you all deserve to know what you could be getting into. For years, the position of the Defense Against Dark Arts had a curse on it, bringing anyone who taught it terrible fate. Most died from this, all at the hand of a malevolent wizard. The curse is broken, but no one will take it." She revealed to Sam. "Our previous headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, had your information incase something like this were to happen. You three were approved by the Ministry of Magic to be allowed to teach and become fully aware of our society." Dean wasn't content with this, but a large yawn cut off the other questions he was going to ask. The flight had taken a lot out of him, not to mention the time change. He noticed the patrons in the pub had either left or gone to their rooms, for there was only a few left out. Dean tried to ignore the the dirty dishes that started soaring through the air to the bar counter where they jumped into the soapy water. He shook this head before returning his attention to the conversation.

"And lastly-a "Muggle" is someone who is not aware of magic," The older woman clarified for Castiel. "A "Muggle-born" witch or wizard is someone whose parents have no magic blood in them, yet the child does. Now I'm aware that you have a lot more questions for me," She smiled softly, like a mother to her children. "But you should all be heading to bed. I will be here 10 AM tomorrow to take you to King's Cross, the train station. Now here are your room keys," She reached into her robe pockets and pulled out two keys, handing one to Sam, and the other to Dean. "The rooms are 394 A and B. I look forward to seeing you in the morning." She nodded her head to them, then she disappeared with a loud crack. The three men looked at each other, then to the empty chair. Dean glanced at the room key in his hand with "394 B" printed on it in small lettering on the brassy edge.

"I guess we go find our rooms then." Sam sighed. He was so curious about everything this world had to offer and he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep till he had learned more.

Dean got directions to their room from the kind landlady, also discovering that the building was a lot larger than it seemed on the outside. Their rooms were on the third floor, must to Dean's displeasure. Soon though, all three were settled into bed. Even Castiel who, as an angel, didn't need sleep but just enjoyed the calm reassuring sound of Dean's heartbeat. The eldest hunter quickly slid into a deep sleep, but Sam laid awake in the other room for a while longer, wondering how this "Dumbledore" got their numbers in the first place. But even he would succumb to sleep deeply in less than an hour.


	4. Platform 9 3/4 huh? Think Ya Being Funny, Do Ya?

**The Leaky Cauldron**

When Dean's alarm started buzzing madly, he hit ignore and returned to his slumber. He finally crawled out of bed after Sam's alarms rung through both rooms (and several others, judging by the knocks on the walls when they scrambled to find the vexatious sound). As expected, Castiel was already awake. He was sitting cross legged on the bed next to a large pile of books of various size and shapes. The one he was currently reading was titled, "The Monster Book Of Monsters" and Dean noticed that everytime a page was turned, the book growled.

Once they got downstairs to the pub, they ordered a breakfast of cream and treacle porridge as well as kippers and eggs. Cas was on another book by then, this one bearing the title of, "Hogwarts, A History". He had barely looked up from whatever book we was currently reading, his nose almost touching the inside pages.

"So Cas," Dean started, his mouth full of eggs. "Whatcha reading there?"

"The complete history of the school we are about to teach at." The dark haired man answered simply, still not tearing his eyes away from the book.

"Oh, is that all?" Dean joked. He wanted to know about the school, but he knew he wouldn't be able to sit there and read the piles upon piles of books Cas mysteriously had. "So tell us about Hogwarts."

Castiel closed his book, having finished the last one. "It appears to be a large castle with a forest and a lake populated with merpeople."

Dean looked over to his brother and smiled. "Mermaids." Sam rolled his eyes.

"Yes Dean. Mermaids." Cas sighed. "As well as goblins, Animagi, werewolves, house-elves, giants, veelas, and dementors. And a lot more, but that looks like the most prominent."

Before Dean could make anymore comments about magical folk, Professor McGonagall rushed into the Leaky Cauldron looking very perplexed.

"What's up teach?" Dean asked casually as he took another bite of his breakfast. Instead of showing annoyance as she normally would, she just sighed.

"I apologize for my lateness, but something has come up and I will not be able to take you to the train station. There is a cab waiting outside to take you, and here are your tickets," She handed to tickets to Sam, who looked at them with a confused face." It should be simple, just follow the other students and their families. Agian, I apologize, but I must be going now." And with that, she disappeared again. The three of them turned their attention back to the tickets in Sam's hand.

"King's Cross, Platform- 9 ¾. Train Departure Time- 1 September, Exactly 11AM"

"Wow, the British are weird. They have platforms with fractions, all fancy like." Dean laughed, clearly impressed. Sam however, did not look as sure as his brother, and neither did Castiel.

They brushed off the hesitant feelings as they went upstairs to go get their belongings. After ten minutes of lugging heavy bags down the many flights of stairs and out to the cab, they were finally on their way to King's Cross. Sam kept sticking his face out the window to look at various things that Castiel would say the name and history of. Dean had to admit that being in a foreign place like this was interesting and he started to look forward to this job, even if he didn't know what or how to teach. He was always the muscle and Sam was always the brain, so Dean came to the conclusion that he would take Sam's lead on this one.

The cab ride went by faster than they'd thought, and soon the driver was helping to get their bags out of the trunk. Or "boot" as the driver called it, much to Dean's delight. Castiel noticed that whenever they used British slang for a word, Dean would smile excitedly and insist on using that word from then-on.

Tickets in hand, the trio marched through the busy train station looking for their platform. As Sam feared, there were no ½s or ¾s with the train numbers, so they stood around awkwardly near the 9th and 10th platform trying to figure out a solution.

"Any ideas, Cas?" Dean asked hopefully, but the response was just a shake of the head. Sam looked to his phone to find that the time was 10:30, and thought Hopefully we can sort this all out in 30 minutes. As he looked around worryingly, he noticed three teens pushing a trolley piled high with suitcases. One of them had an owl in a cage perched carefully on top, flapping its spotted brown wings to steady itself when the cart tipped too much. Sam watched with interest as the teens looked around, then disappeared one by one through the brick partition between the large 9 and 10 labelled paths.

Sam looked to Dean and Castiel, who were also watching this odd entrance. The three looked at each other and the barrier as boy, no older than fourteen, disappeared just the same as the others.

"So…" Sam started, but Dean cut him off with a wolfish-grin as he took his trolley and ran straight through the partition. Cas looked at Sam and shrugged his shoulders, running right after Dean. Sam, being the last one, took a deep breath before closing his eyes and sprinting towards the barrier.


	5. Anything From the Trolley, Dearie?

**King's Cross Station, Platform 9 and 3/4**

Sam smelled the train exhaust the moment he stepped through to the platform, and it immediately overwhelmed him. He glanced around, trying to catch sight of Dean and Castiel, but it was hard due to the large amount of people waiting and running about. Tearful parents were waiting with excited children holding large trunks, and older students held animals like cats and owls. He didn't have to look long though before Dean clapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey so we met up with McGonagall and she set us up with our own compartment in the front of the train and some wizard money. Cas is there now with some books for us, and by us I mean you and Cas, to study up on." Dean explained as he guided Sam through the herds of parents and students to the train. "And she's going to send some teachers around for us to meet before we get to the school."

Sam's eyes widened. "Dean, you and Cas only went through the barrier a minute or two before me. How'd you get all this set up?" Before answering, Dean moved out of the way as a little blonde girl (with a snake curled around her arm) came running through the crowd. Sam, however, did not see the crying girl and was unable to move in time, causing her to run into him. The tall man looked down in surprise, but she was already darting away from him. Following behind her was a dark-haired teenage boy wearing black robes who quickly apologized to both men, then hurried away to catch up with the girl. Sam was still looking in the direction they took off to, but Dean was already on another subject.

"So anyways, Cas is already in our compartment so we should really hurry. Train leaves in a few," Dean pointed out as he and Sam filed onto the train. They quickly found the compartment with Cas and his mountain of books. They settled down with Cas and Dean sitting on one bench, and Sam sitting on the other. It wasn't long til a fellow teacher stopped by.

"I'm Chelsey Callaghan, Head of Ravenclaw House. I teach Ancient Runes," She explained. She was short and had shoulder-length, straight, golden-blonde hair with deep green eyes.

"I'm Sam," He announced. "And this is my brother Dean, and this is Castiel."

"What's a raven's claw?" Dean asked before anyone else could talk.

"Wow," She laughed, "I forgot Minerva said you guys haven't really dealt with magic."

"We have," Sam argued. "Just not...good magic…"

"Right," She continued. "Anyways, there are four Houses at Hogwarts for the students to be categorized in based on their personalities and thought process. Gryffindor usually has the brave and loyal, Hufflepuff has the kind and trusting, and Ravenclaw has the smart and studious." Mentally, Dean was already categorizing them into Houses. He, of course, would be the brave Gryffindor. Cas, he figured, would be best described as a Hufflepuff, and Sam would be a Ravenclaw.

"Slytherin is always given a bad reputation because they are the cunning and the ambitious, but bad witches and wizards can come from any House." She hesitated before continuing. "Don't buy into the propaganda about Slytherins, most of them are fine. Be careful around Professor O'Cassidy, though. Angela's the Head of Slytherin and likes to play pranks on people, especially new teachers, but she's a lot of fun when you get to know her. Also," Dean concluded that Gabriel would definitely be a Slytherin. She continued, "Watch out for Peeves. He's a ghost who likes to get into trouble along with her."

"A ghost? You guys just let ghosts stay?" Dean questioned. Chelsey furrowed her eyebrows and looked between the three.

"Why wouldn't we?"

Before they could explain, the train's whistle went off, followed by the jerk of the train as it started down the track.

"Oh, I should be getting back. Nice meeting you though," She said as she shut the door and slipped out into the hall.

"Well she was nice," Sam commented. He looked out the window to see that they were on a hill that ended abruptly on one side with long, rolling green hills below. "And that thing about the Houses was cool." Dean leaned against the window and stretched his legs out on the dark crimson bench. Castiel remained sitting upright with another book open in his lap.

"They described it in "Hogwarts, A History". Apparently the Slytherins are usually "Pure-Bloods", meaning their entire family lineage has witches and wizards with no "muggle" blood." Castiel explained. Dean's face twisted in confusion as he processed this information.

"But if everyone in the family is pure-blood, that would mean that they're all...related...right?" Dean asked.

"Distant relation, probably. Royal families used to do it all the time in order to keep the royal-blood lines pure. Most of them would marry their cousins to join together kingdoms." Sam answered.

"Doesn't that cause problems? Like, physical ones?" Dean tried to wrap his head around the disgusting idea of marrying someone related to him.

"Yes, Dean. It does," Cas began. "Intermarriage that leads to children can later produce genetic malfunctions causing problems like hemophilia, where the blood does not clot like it should, which can cause brain hemorrhages. There's also been cases of extreme weakness and the Habsburg Jaw, a generic malfunction causing the lower section of the mouth to jut out at an extreme angle. That's if they even survive past childhood."

"Oh. Wow. Why would they do that if it can cause all those things?"

"Well, they had no idea that that was the cause of so many abnormalities. It's not like they had the same medical tests he have now," Sam reminded him.

Dean decided to change the conversation to something less disturbing. "So Cas, whatcha reading now?"

"I just finished The Essential Defense Against The Dark Arts by Arsenius Jigger. I suggest you both read it." Sam reached over for the book to start reading it, but Dean became distracted by the door opening.

An elderly woman stuck her head in and asked, "Anything from the trolley, dears?"

Dean perked up and went over to to inspect the treats on the cart. "What is that?" He pointed to a colorful box aside some little cakes wrapped in a clear bag.

"This," She picked up the box. "Is Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. And those are Cauldron Cakes, they're very popular."

"I'll take both!" Dean exclaimed excitedly.

"That'll be two sickles, darling." Dean fumbled with the unfamiliar money for a moment before the trolley-woman smiled, and showed him that sickles were the small silver coins. After handing over the two candies, she shut the door and took the trolley down the hall.

"So Sam," Dean started, "Wanna try? It says every flavor beans!" Sam looked up from his book to see his brother waving the candy package around. He ate one and smiled. "Cherry."

"...Sure, I'll try some." Dean poured several brightly colored beans into Sam's hand and watched as he popped a small yellow one in his mouth. Sam's face screwed into an odd, painful look as he slowly chewed. Finally, he scrambled for a tissue and spit the bean out in disgust. "God, that tasted like rotten eggs! Like sulphur!" Dean tried a plain black one and reported that it was watermelon, so he handed over a cloudy grey-black one. Neither realized that it was a different flavor, being black pepper. After that, he refused to eat anymore with Dean still laughing at his expense.

They (meaning Cas with some input from Sam) still estimated it would be another few hours until they were close to Hogwarts, so Dean decided he would try to read one of the books Cas brought. He decided that the best one to start with would be "A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot" so he could get a broad view of what they were dealing with. The book didn't have too many pages so he got done with it in an hour, steadily working through his cauldron cakes as well. He had just started "Hogwarts, A History" when there was a knock on the clear glass door before it slid open.

A petite young woman with short, fiery-red hair and freckles walked into the compartment followed by a tall man with olive toned skin and dark eyes.

"You guys must be the Winchesters!" She beamed. "Word travels faster than a broomstick around here," She explained when their faces looked concerned. "I'm Katherine Reid, the Transfiguration teacher."

"Transfiguration-changing an object, animal, or person into something else." Dean rattled off, very proud of himself for remembering the line exact from the book. Sam gave him an odd look, as did the man who hadn't introduced himself yet. There was an awkward silence before the man spoke up.

"I'm Gryffin Hamal, flying instructor and Quidditch referee." He held out his hand for Sam to shake and Dean mentally noted that Gryffin was as tall and broad as his brother. Definitely someone you would want on your side in a fight, he concluded.

"Dean," He introduced as he shook Gryffin's hand. He then noticed that Katherine's hair was more of a dark red than he had thought. Must be the lighting in here, he reasoned.

Cas stood awkwardly to the side, watching Katherine with a great deal of interest. Her hair definitely bled into slightly different shades of red, only noticeable if one paid close attention. Rather than offering his name or hand, he addressed her directly. "You are a Metamorphmagus," He noted with curiosity. "The trait is said to be very rare."

"Yeah, I am," She said brightly. "Makes it pretty easy to teach Transfiguration, and it comes in handy for pranks. I've only known two other people like me, but we lost one of them in the battle." Dean didn't want to seem stupid after proving that he knew exactly what Transfiguration was, but he had no idea what a "Metamorphmagus" was. Luckily, it was Sam who asked.

"A Metamorphmagus is what exactly?" In response, Katherine's face began to change and harden into another. In less than a minute, she had become an exact replica of Sam. The real Sam's eyes widened as did Dean's. Her hair then shortened and became very messy, and her brown eyes turned a vivid shade of blue. Now there were two Castiels in the compartment.

"Stop showing off," Gryffin laughed. She smiled and once again, her skin became pale and her red hair returned.

"Sorry, it's fun to watch new people's reactions to it." She explained. The train suddenly lurched forward, almost causing Katherine to fall down. Gryffin held her hand and steadied her before walking over to the window to peer out.

"Looks like we're a couple minutes out!" Gryffin remarked. "I'd love to stay, but I've got to go meet with another professor."

"I best be going as well. You guys are going to love Hogwarts," She gushed. "Bye then." She waved as Gryffin slid open the compartment door and followed after her, still holding her left hand.

"She's like a shapeshifter," Dean commented. "And she was really nice."

Sam was looking out the window and gave an absent-minded "Uh huh."

"Kinda makes you wonder if we've ever accidentally hunted a Metamorphmagus. Like, if hunters in general killed a good one, like her." Dean had been thinking about this since she had showed that she could change that easily. Yeah, he knew that him and Sam only killed "bad" shifters, but what about all the other hunters in the world? Is that why they were so rare, like Cas said? Had they been hunted to near extinction?

Sam looked at Dean with concern and was about to speak before Castiel cut him off.

"It is likely that the hunters killed both Metamorphmagus' as well as witches and wizards without knowing if they were bad or not. Perhaps they did not care."

Dean stayed quiet until the train alerted them that they had arrived at Hogwarts.


	6. I Think I’m Going To Like It Here

**Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

When the train had stopped at the station, McGonagall found them in the sea of students in black robes.

"Now," She started. "As you should know from the books I gave you, only the Headmaster or Headmistress can Apparate onto the Hogwarts ground, but to make it easy for you, I will take you all one at a time to the castle. Sam, you can go first. Take hold of my arm." Feeling thoroughly awkward, Sam clasped his hand around her arm and felt a sharp tug somewhere near his navel. Dean and Cas watched as the two of them disappeared into thin air.

"Hey Cas, I wonder if you could angel mojo us there." Dean would rather Cas took him there, seeing as he knew the side effects of the angel transportation.

In response, Castiel grabbed Dean's hand and teleported onto Hogwart's grounds, much to the shock of McGonagall. She quickly regained her poise and asked, "It's an angel thing, isn't it?" Dean could hear them discussing the semantics of apparating vs. angel mode, but he was too awestruck. Nothing that Cas had said about the size of the Hogwarts castle could prepare Dean for what lay before him. Simply put, it was bigger than The Men Of Letters bunker back in Kansas.

They were standing on a grassy hill next to a large pumpkin patch and a little stone hut with moss covering the cone shaped roof. The pumpkins still had time to grow, but they were already to Dean's knees with long, twisted vines. To the right of the hut, Dean noticed a creature that resembled a black horse lying down, half hidden by a large tree stump. As he moved closer to get a better look, the creature suddenly woke and stood tall with its bat-like wings flared. When it spread out its left wing, however, it gave a piercing shriek and Dean saw that it had a large gash going from the top of the wing down to the tip. The animal's cry got the attention of McGonagall as she lead Sam and Cas down the hill to where Dean was.

"That, Dean, is a Thestral. They are usually used to pull the carriages that bring the students up to the school, but this one, as you can see, has injured its wing. Our gameskeeper and advanced Care of Magical Creatures teacher Hagrid and his assistant Lindsay Grady have been trying to nurse her back to health. Lindsay teaches the beginner courses of Care of Magical Creatures as well as being the Head of Hufflepuff House. I can't say I am surprised that you three can see them," She added. Dean walked closer to the Thestral, who bowed its head at him. The animal had no fur or feathers, only a thick, leathery skin stretched over prominent boning.

"Why wouldn't we see her?" Sam asked as Dean gingerly reached a hand out to pet the large creature. The Thestral carefully sniffed his hand before allowing him to pet her.

"Thestrals are very special," She explained as she watched Dean run his hand over the animal's head and neck. The skeletal creature's pure white eyes had partly closed in enjoyment at Dean's attention. "Only people who have seen death can see them."

"What's her name?" Dean asked as she nuzzled his jacket. Castiel walked closer to the Thestral, causing her to jerk her eyes open.

"Lindsay named her Halina and she seems to like it." McGonagall observed as Cas took another step towards Halina. Her stance went from comfortable with Dean to hostile as Cas got closer. When he got too close, in her opinion, she moved away from Dean before bucking and raising her good wing threateningly. It reminded Dean of the first time he had met Cas, when the angel had his shadow wings raised high and intimidating.

"Looks like she doesn't like anyone else with wings, Cas." Dean said as he worked on calming Halina down. He knew by Cas' expression that he had wanted to pet her like Dean did, but she seemed really angry at the angel's presence.

"Or she doesn't like competition," Sam laughed. His joke fell short when he saw Castiel's unamused face. "We should probably get to the castle."

"The students will be arriving very soon and you all need to get dressed." McGonagall informed them as she started up the hill leading to the castle.

"Dressed?" Dean murmured to Sam as they followed the Professor.

"Robes, I guess." Sam shrugged. They walked into a courtyard that led inside the castle, and once in, walked up a large staircase. It wasn't long, however, before the staircase moved, shifting from one floor to another. Cas remained perfectly still and balanced, while Sam and Dean had to hold onto the staircase's sides to prevent from falling. McGonagall failed to comment on the moving stairs as she walked onto the third floor with the trio following closely behind.

"This is the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and this is where you all will be staying." She showed them a small set of rooms just off the main classroom. Each room had a four-poster bed, a wardrobe, and a desk with parchment and a quill. Their luggage had been brought up, Dean noticed appreciatively. He hadn't been looking forward to bringing the bags up those stairs.

"I will leave you to get dressed and will meet you by the great staircase. The sorting will begin soon." McGonagall turned and left, leaving Cas, Sam, and Dean in one of the rooms.

"So what do we do now?" Sam asked as he touched the soft blanket on the large bed. "We don't have any robes."

"Actually," Castiel corrected. "I took the liberty of buying us all robes." Sam and Dean exchanged confused looks before turning to watch Cas pull out several pieces of fabric from one of his suitcases. He handed a sage green one to Dean, who took off his leather jacket to put it on. He dug through his bag for a blood red robe for Sam, then finally a deep blue one for himself. Dean looked at himself in the mirror, inspecting from every possible angle. "Hey Cas, thanks."

"Thanks man." Sam put in as he closed the clasp on his new robe. The robe fit perfectly.

"You are both welcome. Now, are we all ready for the Sorting?"

"Yeah, let's go!" Dean said excitedly as he opened up the door that led out of the classroom.

Professor McGonagall was waiting for them down at the stairs like she had said. "Now the Sorting," She explained. "Is where the students will be put into the Houses. I trust you know of them?" Sam nodded, so she continued. "All teachers sit at the head table, where I will introduce you after the Sorting is over with." She showed them to the Great Hall, where they took their seats by Katherine and Gryffin.

Katherine's face looked the same as when they had met, but her hair was dark purple. "Nerves," Gryffin whispered to Sam, who sat beside him. "She's worried about the Sorting."

"Why?" Sam asked quietly. To Sam, Katherine didn't seem like someone who would mind crowds or new people, seeing how she acted when they first met. He looked over past Gryffin to see her animatedly talking to Dean and Cas, no anxiety in sight. It looked like she was telling a story, which drew a smile from Cas as Dean laughed and responded excitedly. Sam turned his attention back on Gryffin.

"Well, she knows one of the new students; he's a Metamorphmagus like her. Katie knew his mom and she took it hard when…" Gryffin trailed off, looking over at her. Dean was telling a story now and she was nodding enthusiastically. Her hair started bleeding back down to a reddish-purple color. "Well it took a long time before she was okay again. I was really worried about her. She had stopped changing her appearance and didn't go to see him for a while. Now she feels like he is her responsibility."

Sam was about to comment, but students had started filing into the Great Hall. Within ten minutes, the four long tables in the large hall were filled with eager and anxious students. The staff table's seats were all taken except the one that was obviously the Headmistress'. Chelsey was sitting next to a woman in green robes with long, strawberry blonde hair. Sam guessed that this was the "Angela" of Slytherin house she had warned them about. Next to her was a woman who was talking to a very large man with a beard. The man must have been two feet taller than him and twice as wide. On the end of the table was a tall, thin man who kept looking around wildly, as if confused by the whole ordeal. Lastly, there was a hat on a stool in the space between the teacher's table and the students. The hat shape was like a traditional children's wizard cap as seen every Halloween, but that's where the similarities stopped. This hat was shabby and looked ancient, with patches covering old holes from years of use. It almost looked as if the hat was breathing.

The large doors across the hall opened, and McGonagall led in lines of kids in black cloaks and pointy hats. They looked like they were around the age of ten, so Sam figured that they were the first years that needed sorting. The Great Hall quieted down as the old hat started to sing.

_"Hello to one and hello to all,_

__

__

_I've come to answer your call_

_Where will you be placed,_

_Only I know all._

_But I'll make haste_

_So you can go stand tall_

_Are you the brave during war_

_Like Godric Gryffindor?_

_Or are you intelligent and maybe you draw_

_Like one Rowena Ravenclaw_

_Perhaps caring and friendly, sure enough_

_You're just like Helga Hufflepuff!_

_But if you're cunning and like to win_

_Maybe you'd side with Salazar Slytherin_

_No matter the House, no matter the trait_

_You'll always find friends to change your Fate_

_But be careful who you know_

__

_They might just turn out to be a foe"_

The hat's song ended with a round of applause while McGonagall pulled out a long piece of rolled parchment.

"When I call your name, please step up to the stool and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. From there, you will be placed into a House that will become your home," She explained. "Natalie Adams."

A small girl walked up to the chair, shaking with fear. McGonagall set the hat on her head. Several seconds passed before it yelled out, "Ravenclaw!" One of the tables started cheering loudly, and the girl smiled and sat down.

The rest of the sorting went the same: an anxious child's name being called, the hat thinking before calling out a House, and the child going to sit at the table with the cheering occupants. Sam noticed that halfway through, Katherine's hair started gradually turning purple again. She and Gryffin were holding hands under the table and she looked increasingly more nervous.

"Edward Lupin."

A boy with blue hair walked up to the stool and looked over at Katherine before sitting down. His hair shifted to green as the hat was put on his head.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat confidently yelled. The boy smiled and ran over to the Hufflepuff table where he was hugged by several people.

Katherine's hair turned back to red as she smiled and looked over to Gryffin. Soon, the Sorting was over and McGonagall had gone up to the podium to speak.

"Hello and welcome back to Hogwarts. We have three new Professors this year. Taking over the position of Defense Against The Dark Arts is Sam and Dean Winchester," Both stood up when their names were called. McGonagall waited for the polite claps to stop before she continued. "They have little experience with our type of magic, but I feel they will be a great fit. Our other Professor is going to teach a new program called Muggle Religions and Their Theology. This is Castiel," Dean hit his arm so Cas would stand up, which he did. "He is…" She trailed off and looked in their direction, unsure of how to introduce him.

"I am an Angel of the Lord." Castiel explained to shocked faces. There were hushed whispers, but one phrase was loud enough to distinguish.

"Like Lord Voldemort?!" A girl from the Slytherin table yelled, shocked. This caused an uproar of disbelief at the name and a handful of Gryffindors started glaring at a very confused Cas.

"Quiet!" McGonagall yelled, quickly silencing the room. "He is not connected to Lord Voldemort in any way. These three men fight evil to keep people safe. They should be treated like any other Professor. Now," She continued as Sam, Dean, and Cas all sat back down. "It is time for the feast." Dean's face perked up at the mention of food. "Chocolate Creme Puff."

Suddenly, the tables that were bare moments before were now covered in food of all kinds. Dean recognized some immediately, while others had to be tried. The atmosphere was joyful and pleasant, with conversation flowing through the room. Some students stole glances at the new teachers before gossiping back at their table. Dean spent most of the time eating, but he still had time to share stories and give comment on things his brother and Cas said. Dessert came and went, with all three being stuffed to the brim with food. They dismissed to their rooms, only getting lost twice. All in all, it had been a good day, Dean decided.


	7. Voyages With Vampires

**September 1st- Platform 9 ¾**

William W. Prang was exhausted to say the least. Not only was his body tired, but his mind was in disarray. His younger sister was eleven, the age he was when he got his letter. The problem was that it was September 1st and she hadn't gotten her letter yet. As expected, Amelia had been inconsolable for the two weeks prior; the promises of their mother, Kendra Prang, to talk with the Ministry gave little comfort to her.

When they were buying the new books William needed for his sixth year at Hogwarts, they made sure to buy some of the stuff they knew Amelia would need. Of course, they could not buy everything, seeing as they lacked the letter as well as the supply list, but the family got her got all they could. Their mom had even bought her a small Adder snake that the saleslady at the Magical Menagerie swore had been de-venomed. Amelia had immediately taken to the snake and whispered to "Morfin" when she was most upset. She even started sneaking it to dinner when their mom was not paying close attention. The snake was not kind and only liked Amelia, often striking at those who got too close to him. There were several times when it bit William and Amelia had to scorn it, much to its displeasure. William came to the conclusion that there was something wrong with the snake, and he hated the way his sister acted around it.

At the train station, their mother had a very passionate meeting about Amelia with Fergus Canius, the Ministry official in charge of the "Being" department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

"I am truly sorry Ms.." Fergus trailed off. This lady had been calling all around the Ministry about her kid and it was just his luck to draw the short straw to talk with her. Naturally, he put it off until the last moment in the hopes she would change her mind. She did not, and he was forced to deal with it in a small corner of the platform. To his relief, both of her children were too far away to hear the conversation.

"Mrs. Prang," She hastily reminded him.

"Right, Prang. Well, as you know, we do not take these matters lightly and just cannot allow someone like your daughter to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It would be extremely dangerous to let someone of her, uh, blood status to go to a normal school." He hoped the mother would not cause a scene in such a crowded place. He looked over to where the little girl sat with her brother, both looking at them both every few seconds. To Fergus, it was painfully obvious what the girl was. She had light blonde hair and an extremely pale complexion, a striking contrast to the dark hair that the mother and half-brother had. Fergus bet that when the girl smiled, you could see the small, slightly oversharpened fangs that inhabited the girl's mouth.

"She's never hurt anyone! There's got to be someway for her to go," Kendra pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but it's just impossible." With that, Fergus left the platform, glad to be done with the case.

Amelia could tell by her mother's face that she wasn't going to be allowed to go to the school. It was for this reason that William was running across the platform, chasing after a weeping Miss Amelia. He stumbled clumsily as he fought through the crowd to get to his half-sister. He watched as she bumped into a very tall man, then ran off in a different direction. As he came up to the man, William quickly apologized, then continued his hunt for Amelia. He finally found her sitting in a corner where there were no people to bother her. She was stroking Morfin and whispering to him as tears ran down her face. When he approached her, the snake hissed loudly.

"Oh, stop it Morfy." She cried as she looked up to her brother. "It's because I'm part vampire, isn't it?"

William hesitated before answering. "It's just because they don't know you. If they did, they'd know that you wouldn't hurt a fly." He felt a burning hate slowly growing in him as he said this. They'd always treat her differently. It doesn't matter about her as a person, just what's in her blood.

Their mother found them and sighed. "We'll get it fixed, Lia." She turned to William and softly reminded him, "Train's about to leave." Amelia started crying harder at hearing this.

"I'm so sorry, Lia." William said as she hugged him tightly, careful to keep Morfin away from him.

"Bye, Will. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too and I'll write as much as I can." William hugged his mom, and then hugged Amelia again before walking back to the train.

William quickly found his friend, Fletcher, in a compartment on the train. He repeated the morning's events with malice in his voice as the train took off.

"Really? But your sister is the nicest eleven year old I've ever met!" Fletcher said in disbelief.

They spent the rest of the train ride talking about how they might be able to get the Ministry to change their mind.


	8. I Know What You Did Last Summer

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**  
The Sorting went by agonizingly slow for William and Fletcher, both of whom were eager for the feast portion. William couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as he watched the first-years smile when they sat at their new House's table. Why should they get to come to Hogwarts when his sister couldn't? The jealousy started to shift into something more, a dangerous type of hatred that was trying to claw its way through William's head.

"Hey, earth to Will," Fletcher waved a chicken leg in front of William's blank face before taking a large bite out of it. William seemed to snap out of his daze-like state to find that the feast had already started. He took a look at the top of the stairs leading up to the teacher's table and was shocked when he didn't see the Sorting Hat or the first-years. Instead, he saw that the table was lined with food before his eyes rested on three new additions. William noticed with surprise that the tallest man sitting at the table was the one he had apologized to one the train platform.

"Hey Fletch, who are they?" William asked as he tipped his head to the head table.

"Man, you don't listen." He said with a mouth full of crumpets. "The tall one and the guy talking to Professor Reid are going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. And the other one is going to teach Muggle religion, or something like that. He thinks he's an angel," Fletcher chuckled as he took an abnormally large bite from a turkey leg.

William started dishing out his food and joining in on Fletcher's argument with Tim Shouler, a fellow Gryffindor, about the chances of the Holyhead Harpies beating out the Caerphilly Catapult for the season. Usually, William was passionate about his Quidditch teams, but tonight he lacked the fight. In between discussions on the latest broom type that Flyte and Barker had put out, he snuck glances over at the newest teachers where he caught the new Muggle religion teacher's eyes. William quickly dropped his gaze down to the pudding he was neglecting, his cheeks burning as the teacher kept staring at him with an odd, searching look on his face. A minute later, William found himself looking up again to see the man looking away, much to his relief. What William W. Prang did not know was that the new teachers would be keeping a very close eye on him.

It had been a hectic week for the students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as first weeks go. The Muggle Religions and Their Theology class as well as the Defense Against the Dark Arts class had been postponed till the start of the second week of classes to allow the new teachers to prepare their course for the semester and learn the layout of the castle. Naturally, the school was buzzing with a mixture of excitement and restlessness at breakfast for a class taught by non-wizards. Would the classes be just like the old classes and cover boring subjects like salamanders and hinkypunks, or would they be learning about something outside of the Wizarding world?

"I heard," Adalena Ajkeel started with a tone of importance as she stood at the end of the breakfast table where William and Fletch sat. "That they ride around on dragons and that they've gotten rid of aliens from Mars." William rolled his eyes and went back to eating his eggs. He had never gotten along with Adalena, due to her inability to mind her own business and her talent for spreading absurd rumors. But, he said nothing in the hopes that she would leave and he could worry about the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class in peace.

"Really, Adalena? You expect us to believe that?" Fletch laughed. He put down a piece of toast he was buttering to point at her with the butter knife. "Your stories keep getting even more ridiculous."

"It's true!" She said in an indignant voice. "And they're friends with a group of werewolves!" This comment prompted laughter from the entire table; nobody could just be friends with werewolves.

"Oh, come on Adalena. You must know how outrageous that sounds," William spoke up. Adalena gave a huff and walked away, pouting as she went to the next table to share her "information".

"That girl is going to be the next Rita Skeeter," Fletch laughed as he returned to his toast. When this generated no response, he looked up to see William just staring mindlessly at the fruit. "You thinking about your sister again?"

William had been writing her daily, still feeling immensely guilty over her not being able to come. "There's got to be a way for her to come for next school year?"

Fletch bit his cheek before taking a bit of an apple. "Even if you could convince McGonagall, the Ministry would never allow it."

"I'll find a way," William said determinedly. "I will."


	9. Born Under A Bad Sign

**The Library at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"Come on, Dean. Our first class is tomorrow and you haven't done anything to help me prepare," Sam complained. "And where do you keep getting that food? Dinner was over an hour ago."

Dean stopped chewing on a piece of candy. "No where..." He mumbled.

"Right, well unless we're doing our class on magical food, then we need to get back to work." Sam turned another page in Slinkhard's Defensive Magical Theory before putting the book down in frustration. "I think we're in over our heads, Dean." Sam sighed.

"Just relax, Sammy. We'll think of something." Dean rubbed his eyes, then looked around the large room. There was a group of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs studying by the window, but every now and then, one of them would look over to the Winchesters and start whispering to the others. This would prompt a giggle before they returned to their studies. On the far side of the library, they saw someone Katherine introduced as "Sir Nicholas", a ghost with a habit of pulling his head almost clear off his neck. Of course, the shock of seeing so many ghosts just floating around the school drove them into hunter-mode, but McGonagall and Katherine assured them that the ghosts meant no injury; even Peeves' pranks were mostly harmless. They found that Sir Nicholas was quite enjoyable to be around, and ended up having conversations with him daily about the Wizarding World.

As he watched the friendly ghost talk to a Slytherin, who promptly cheered up from his seemingly depressive state, a brilliant idea popped into his head.

**The Muggle Religion and Their Theology Classroom**

Meanwhile, Castiel was dealing with problems of his own. Gryffin had brought two professors to his new classroom before leaving to coach Quidditch practice. One was Firenze, an unexpectedly elegant Centaur who taught Astrology. The other's name was Sybill Trelawney. She was disliked by most of the students and was often called "mad", for good reason. She had hair that was a mess of frizz and curl, held back by a large headband, which only further accented her large eyes and thick glasses. Her Divination class was in the North Tower, a place she rarely vacated for fear of bad omens, and she only left now to inform the new teacher of his impending doom.

"Do not take my words lightly," Trelawney cautioned as Castiel sighed.

"Professor," Castiel began. "I have already told you. I cannot die of a mortal blade. It is impossible."

"I have seen your death in the battle, from one who has turned. But if you will not take my warning seriously, I will leave." And with that final note, the Professor turned on her heels to return to her incense-filled tower.

Firenze watched the exchange with interest. "If you are a celestial being, why descend into the lower realm? Surely, there must be more auspicious things that require your attentions?"

"I was once a Commander for an absent God, until I learned that humans were not what we thought. I met the Winchesters, and we became allies then friends. I have fought with the Winchesters and gained a new respect for humanity. There was a time when I had my Grace, my Holy power, stolen from me. I became human and had to figure out how to survive. It's much harder than I realized, with something as simple as temperature fluctuations proving to be fatal." Castiel marveled as he remembered his time homeless and starving.

"I have found," Firenze started gently. "That humans are more important that others give credit for. It is common for non-human entities to see humans as lesser beings, but this is an ignorant train of thought. And it has caused the unnecessary deaths of many." Castiel nodded in agreement as the hour struck for his first class. "I will leave you, Castiel, but I wish to tell you this: Professor Trelawny may seem unbelievable, but her words usually have some truth to them."


	10. The Monster At The End Of This Book

**The Defense Against The Dark Arts Classroom**

The sixth-year Gryffindors and Slytherins arrived early and in large groups, as if piling into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom would make the class start prematurely. Ten minutes before the class was set to start, every student was present and fidgeting in their seat. Some of the students were worried that the class would be similar in nature as the infamous Umbridge classes, and they would only be reading and writing out the spells rather than actually using magic. Others were excited about the opportunity to learn defensive magic from a different viewpoint, even if the new Professors couldn't perform magic.

Sam and Dean Winchester were waiting in their office, as uneasy as the students in the other room.

"Rock-paper-scissors? Loser leads the class?" Dean suggested with a hint of worry in his usually confident voice. Sam considered this for a moment before answering.

"Deal. Ready?" Dean nodded.

"Rock. Paper. Scissors!" They chanted in unison. Dean chose scissors, and won over Sam's paper. The older hunter smiled while Sam sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but you're introducing yourself. Let's go."

The two Professors exited the office and was shocked at the number of students staring at them. The vast room, filled with books and a large dragon's skeleton hanging from the ceiling, was abnormally silent. Dean tugged uncomfortably on his blue robes as they walked up to the front of the class.

"Good morning class," Sam said with a false sense of self-assurance. When no one returned the greeting, he looked to his brother for support.

"I'm Dean Winchester, this is my brother Sam. We're, uh, your new teachers." A girl sitting in the front row's hand shot up into the air.

"Uh, yes? And your name is?" Sam questioned.

"Adalena Ajkeel, Slytherin house," She replied as she tossed her mahogany colored hair over her shoulder. "Is it true you guys have killed creatures like Chupacabras?"

"Yes we have...dealt... with a Chupacabra when Dean and I were young. Any other questions?" Sam asked before the girl could press further. Almost everyone raised their hands as Sam and Dean exchanged a look. This was going to be a long class.

**The Defense Against The Dark Arts Classroom**

**The First Seat In the Last Row**

William took the chair next to Fletcher, who promptly turned to him. "Where were you this morning? I didn't see you at breakfast."

"Oh, yeah. I slept in." William lied. In truth, he was in the library looking up the laws regarding vampires, trying to find any loophole for his sister. According to the books, even if you were only a half-vampire, the Ministry still sees you as the same threat level as a full blood. Last night in the common room, Fletcher explained his concern to William, saying that he might be obsessing over this a little too much.

It's because he's an only child. He's never had to worry about being seen as different or having people be mean just because of your family. William thought bitterly. And it was that night that he vowed that he would not talk to Fletcher about this subject anymore.

"Well, man, at least you look better than yesterday. You ready for class?" William nodded, but as soon as the students all started asking questions, he found his mind wandering.

Soon, Fletcher was shaking his arm, yanking him out of his daze.

"Hey, class is over, dude." William looked around in surprise and saw everyone leaving. They collected their books and the two started towards their next class.

**The Great Hall******

** **The owl arrived unexpectedly, but arrived nevertheless. It was a large, dark brown one that was unfamiliar to William, seeing as his was a small white spotted one. The owl flew effortlessly over the students in the Great Hall, and landed confidently in front of William's empty dinner plate. When he didn't acknowledge her presence as fast as she thought he should, she bit him hard on his forearm.** **

** **"Hey!" William cried as he jerked his arm back and hit a bowl, causing a sausage to roll out. The bird dropped an envelope on the table and flew off in disgust. He turned his attention back to the note addressed to one "William Walsh Prang". Shocked at seeing his middle name written down, he broke the wax seal and slowly unfolded the letter.** **

_"Mr. Prang-_

** **** **

_We have heard of the injustice your sister and family have faced at the malicious hands of the Ministry of Magic. This is why I write to you now, as I ask for your consideration to aid us in the reformation of the unjust laws that our leaders have lay before our world. We ask that even if you decide to not join our cause, that you keep complete silence of this letter and it's contents. Telling friends or family could put you and your sister in danger. We humbly implore you to join us so innocent children can have the experiences that they deserve, such as the attendance of Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If you wish to make a difference, write us a confirmation and the owl will come back at this time tomorrow to pick it up. Thank you, Mr. Prang._

** **** **

_Sincerely,_

** **** **

_The Advancement Of Vampire Rights (TAVR)"_

** **William read through the letter twice, so engrossed in the words that he didn't notice Fletcher sit down next to him.** **

** **"Hey, whatcha got there?" Fletch asked curiously as he peered over William's shoulder to try to see the letter.** **

** **"Nothing." William said quickly as he hid the letter in his robes. Fletcher gave his friend an odd look, but dropped the subject.** **

** **William kept to himself the rest of dinner and ignored all of Fletcher's attempt at conversation, including his concern over the lack of food on William's completely clean plate. He was too busy mentally drafting his acceptance letter to worry about something as minor as eating dinner. He excused himself early from dinner so he could write in the dorm without having to worry about someone looking over his shoulder.** **


	11. Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things

**Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

It had been two days since William sent out his letter to the TAVR, and he was anxiously waiting for a reply. His Herbology class went by in a blur. Professor Longbottom called on him with a simple question that he answered wrong, prompting Kaeley Coex to start laughing. Then the entire class snickered at his expense, but William found it hard to care. I wouldn't be surprised if Kaeley was related to that Umbridge hag. Getting a Herbology question wrong isn't important, he thought bitterly. Who cares about that when there's more important matters, like fighting for vampire rights?

Potions class was terrible. William accidently put Mandrake root in the potion rather than Mandrake leaves, causing the potion to erupt in a cloud of red smoke. Gryffindor was docked fifty points and his housemates were giving him the cold shoulder. It didn't help that every time they went into the Great Hall, they were greeted by the large points-hourglass that seemed to taunt the Gryffindors with their status as the house in last place. Fletcher was cool towards him due to William's rebuffs whenever he expressed concern at William's anti-social tendencies. He stopped talking to his friends and started sitting alone at the far side of the Gryffindor table where he could think without being interrupted. Even Adalena Ajkeel had started to keep her distance; An odd occurrence for a girl who prided in having her nose in everyone's personal lives.

William drew in a large breath as he left the Great Hall for his Defense Against the Darks Arts class. He had started to lose his appetite and this morning was no different. The single piece of toast he had sat heavy in his stomach and he felt nauseated. He walked into the classroom to see that everyone was already ready for class. He ducked over to the same seat he had Monday and wasn't shocked to see the other chair empty. Fletcher was sitting several rows down with Tim Shouler. He looked over to his friend with a sympathetic look on his face, which disgusted William.

"Okay class," The tall one started. William remembered this one as being the one he ran into on the train platform. "No questions for today so we can actually get to the lesson we couldn't do on Monday."

"Ghosts," The blonde man clapped his hands together confidently. "Aren't always as friendly as Sir Nicholas. There are some called vengeful spirits who attack and kill people." There were quiet murmurs rippling through the students as they watched the Professors with rapt attention.

"These spirits are people who died, usually in a violent fashion, and either couldn't or refused to go with their Reaper. We will talk about Reapers later on in the year." Sam assured the class.

"So ghosts can have several abilities, such as invisibility, telekinesis, as well as super strength and speed. There is only way to get rid of ghosts: Salt and burn the remains. However, if the person was cremated, an object that can have DNA or that the person was extremely attached to can carry the ghost's essence." The students started taking notes furiously, eager to get everything down.

"A way to dispel a ghost and not terminate it is by using iron. Waving something iron, such as a fire poker," Sam picked up a fire poker from his desk. "Through a ghost will make it dissipate. However, we must reiterate that not all ghosts are unfriendly and these methods should only be used for protection."

"Headmistress McGonagall has agreed that you all should have first hand experience with this. So here to help us is Sir Nicholas himself!" The kind ghost appeared next to Dean and bowed to the students.

"Sir Nicholas has agreed to help us in this class. We are only going to use the iron method, of course, so if you could all please just form a line-" Sam was cut off by the students scrambling out of their seats to be in front. William begrudgingly got up from his chair and joined the back of the line where unhappy students tapped their toes and waited anxiously.

To no one's surprise, Adalena had wormed her way to the front of the group, her eyes wide with excitement. "Now class, what you want to do is take the iron and try to "slice" through Sir Nicholas like this." The class backed up while Dean raised the fire poker and swung it through the ghost, which promptly disappeared before materializing ten feet away.

"How're you feeling Nick?" Sam asked as the ghost straightened his collar.

"Fairly well, dear Sam, just a bit uncomfortable. It is worth it so the children can learn." Sir Nicholas smiled down on the students before bowing his head at Dean.

"Okay," Sam clapped his hands. "Let's get started." Dean handed the iron poker over to Adalena, who had to grip it with two hands. The two professors backed up to give her space and she swung the iron straight through Sir Nicholas' chest. The class clapped as Adalena smiled and handed off the poker to the next student. The line went through fast with the students hitting Sir Nicholas in the head, stomach, or chest; the students clapping and smiling. At the back of the line stood William, who sighed when it became his turn. When the iron was passed to his hands, a surge of hot anger coursed through his body and he gripped the fire poker so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Using all his strength and pent-up rage, William sliced through Sir Nicholas' transparent body violently. Sam and Dean glanced at each other in concern as they watched the teenager's face contort with fury, then satisfaction when the ghost disappeared.

The students looked around, waiting for Sir Nicholas to reappear. Several tense moments passed before he materialized next to Sam and Dean. Sir Nicholas turned his face to talk softly to the brothers, peering over his shoulder to look at William. The two brothers nodded as the ghost disappeared for good.

"Okay everybody, good class today. Your homework," The groans of the students were audible and it was obvious that they thought the newest teachers wouldn't be the kind to assign homework.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, homework sucks. Still, by next class, we expect an essay on the difference between ghouls and ghosts and which ones you would rather fight" Dean said.

The students all got up from their chairs and left the room, with William being the first to leave.


	12. It’s The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester!

**The Great Hall, Halloween**

The Halloween feast was even more impressive than the beginning-of-year banquet, a feat that Sam thought to be impossible. There were pumpkins rather than the usual candles floating in the air high above the students, adding to the festive mood. The tables were covered in twice as much food as usual and Dean was determined to try it all. Much to his brother's disgust, Dean's mouth was never empty; Even when he was talking. Sam couldn't help but stare when Dean stabbed his fork into a dark, round piece of meat before shoving it into his mouth.

"Do you even know what that is?" Sam asked.

"Don't ruin it for me, Sammy." Dean answered while still chewing the unknown food. Castiel turned his attention away from his conversation on fire crabs with Professor Grady to look at what Dean was eating.

"That is black pudding," Dean stopped chewing before Castiel continued. Sam started to smile smugly. "It is commonly made of animal fat, pig blood, and oatmeal." By now, Sam was full-on laughing while Dean chugged water to try to get the taste out of his mouth. The majority of the teachers started laughing as well while Dean's face turned a sickly green shade.

"I'm going to bed." Dean announced as he stood up from the table, leaving his full plate of food untouched. Sam couldn't help but smile as he watched his brother leave, still looking incredibly uncomfortable. The dessert appeared and Sam found himself indulging in bakewell tarts and sherry trifles as he talked to Gryffin.

"So catching the snitch means you win the game?"

"Catching the snitch means the game has ended," Gryffin explained. "But, it is possible to win the game without having caught the snitch." Sam nodded his head in understanding. "A snitch is worth one-hundred and fifty points, so if the opposing team has a difference of more than one-hundred and fifty, then the other team is the winner."

"Oh, okay that makes sense." Sam looked around the Great Hall and was shocked to see that it was mostly empty.

"Gryffin, come on. Let's go to bed." Katherine said as she touched his arm and stood up. "It's getting late. Goodnight Cas, goodnight Sam." The two left the spacious room, hand-in-hand.

"Okay, night guys." Sam decided to leave too, but the castle was darker than he was used to. Several wrong turns and changing staircases later, he found himself in an odd corridor on the north side of the castle. He had never been to this side of the castle before, but he followed the path till he came upon a door. The door was wide open and there sitting on a stair step was a woman with large, bushy hair and glasses that magnified her teary eyes. There were several empty bottles around her, some dripping what little contents left onto some cards that were scattered on the stone floor.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" Sam asked cautiously. She raised her head a bit and her eyes widened, making her look remarkably similar to an owl.

"The Hanged Man," She sniffled as she held up one of the cards. Sam came closer and saw that it was a hand painted Tarot card of a man hanging upside down from a tree branch. " Do you know what this means?!"

"Uh, no?"

The woman sighed loudly and took off her large glasses to wipe the tears from her eyes. "It means that a student is going to die this year."

"Well, Tarot cards aren't an exact subject, right? It could be letting go or something." Sam asked as he rubbed his temples with his hand. He could tell that she was going to be inconsolable on this

The woman hiccuped loudly. "I am a seer. I see things, lots of things." Her words slurred slightly and she held out a bottle. "Sherry?"

"Please." Sam said.

—x-

**The North Tower- 7:52 AM**

Sam's eyes fluttered open, only to be shut again. His head felt like it was splitting in two due to the amount of sherry he had drunk last night. He only remembered brief moments of laughing and drinking; certainly not enough to paint a clear picture. It was at this moment that Sam realized that he was not wearing clothing under the colorful cloth that was draped over him. Startled, he looked down and saw that a woman's arm was hugging his torso as she slept. Slowly and cautious, Sam began to slide out of the woman's embrace, holding his breath the entire time. He was relieved when she rolled over, still asleep. Sam's worst fears were confirmed when he got out of bed. He frantically looked for his clothes and saw that his pants were under one of the woman's legs. His shirt was nowhere to be seen. Wrapping one of her scarves around his waist, Sam went to the front of the bed and tentatively grabbed his pants. He tugged a little and the woman groaned, prompting him to close his eyes tightly. When she still appeared to be asleep, he held his breath and snatched the pants. When the woman did not wake up, Sam slid out of her bedroom and into a large, empty classroom. Looking around, he swiftly took off the scarf and slid on his jeans before running out of the room and down the tower's stairs.

—x-  
**The Great Hall- 8:16 AM**

Sam, now fully dressed in his own clothes, sluncked into the Great Hall. He kept his head down so no one could see his embarrassment as he walked up to the teacher's table. Dean immediately stopped eating to look at Sam.

"Dude, where have you been? You've missed most of breakfast." Dean asked as Sam sat down. "And is that...incense?"

"Classes start in 43 minutes and 52 seconds, Sam." Castiel said seriously as Dean continued eating.

Sam looked around nervously. "Something happened. I got lost last night and ended up near this tower." Katherine and Gryffin stopped talking to listen to Sam's story. "This woman was sitting on the stairs crying and drinking…"

"That must've been Trelawney." Katherine clarified.

"Yeah, she's a bit of a lush." Gryffin added.

"Anyway, she was freaking out over this Tarot card, saying someone was going to die so I felt bad. So I started drinking with her..." Everyone exchanged mixed looks of judgement and surprise.

Dean smiled. "And?"

Sam said nothing, choosing to lay his head down on the table. Katherine started giggling uncontrollably as Gryffin made a disapproving face.

"No, nu uh." Dean began excitedly. "You didn't!" Everyone but Sam and Castiel started laughing, Katherine holding her stomach as she did.

"You guys all suck." Sam moaned as he raised his head to look at his brother, who was still snickering. Dean leaned in close to Sam and everyone quieted down.

"Seriously dude. Did she tell you this was your future or was it fate?" Sam got up and left while the group started roaring with laughter all over again.

"This is the best day ever." Dean exclaimed as he watched his brother leave.

Castiel, who remained stone-faced through this event, looked more confused than ever. "I don't get it. What is wrong with Sam keeping a woman company while she is upset?" No one could answer him as they were all out of breath from hysterics.


	13. No Rest For The Wicked

**Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

_"Mr. Prang-_

_I apologize for this delayed response, but we at TAVR are tremendously occupied in various actions for vampire rights around the world. We have formulated a plan that can bring the fall of the anti-vampire regime at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and only you can help us. We have in our possession a Vanishing Cabinet that will prove to be vital to this operation. You will find a chamber in the school called the Room of Requirement near the 7th floor corridor. Walk past the wall three times, thinking of the Cabinet the entire time. Make sure to remain focused on this; failure to do so will result in the collapse in all the progress that we have struggled for. Once inside the room, you will see the Cabinet that we will use to smuggle other members of the TAVR into Hogwarts so we can begin the growth and prosperity for all vampires. You must place the items in the Cabinet and repeat this incantation: "Harmonia Nectere Passus" until the object has disappeared. You will find it useful to try having small things transported back and forth, things like fruit and animals. This way there are no problems with transporting live vampires and wizards alike._

_Your sister will be very proud of her big brother when she realizes that her schooling at Hogwarts was brought forth due to his sacrifices and commitment._

_We send all other letters via the Cabinet from now on. We hope that the reminder for our need of secrecy does not need to be repeated._

__

_Thank you, Mr. Prang- A now official member of TAVR._

__

_Sincerely,_

_The Advancement of Vampire rights (TAVR)"_

William ran his fingers over the ink in the note, rereading it for the fifth time today. He received the note at breakfast, two days before Halloween. Once again, he ate only a small bit of breakfast and his lack of appetite was starting to show on his body. His skin was pale, a trait made worse by his dark hair that insisted on sticking out in odd places. His once pretty eyes were now dull and tired, surrounded by dark circles that gave him the appearance of having bruised eyes. His fingers slimmed and his skin stretched over his now prominent bones. It seemed that William was always exhausted, which is why he had forced himself to eat an egg and half a slice of toast.

Luckily, William thought, I don't have to worry about Fletcher trying to read my letter. He noticed that Fletcher was sitting close to Adalena Ajkeel, who was talking animatedly as Fletcher listened with interest. William's ex-best friend then turned and caught his eye with a somber expression. William looked away, disgusted. How dare he look at me like that. I don't need his pity.

The young wizard got up from his chair and stormed towards the 7th floor, his hateful thoughts swimming through his mind. A small part of him knew he should be acting better to Fletcher, but he found it difficult due to his mission with TAVR. I'm protecting him, really. If I don't talk to him, I won't mention anything about TAVR. It's not like he cares anyway…

By the time he reached the 7th floor, classes had started and the corridors were empty. An eerie silence settled over the hall and William could swear that he could hear his heart beating. He came upon a large wall. It was plain in stone and color, but there were no other places for the room to be. Unsure of himself, William paced in front of the wall three times, thinking of his sister and how TAVR was going to give her a better life.

A door sunk into the wall and William placed his shaky hand on the door's handle. This is it, he thought. When I walk through this door, I will be changing history, for Amelia and for every vampire half-breed. With a new bout of confidence, he turned the handle and stepped into the vast room. The Cabinet that his letter spoke of was in the center of the room, surrounded by trinkets and old books. He heard the faint tweetings of small birds in silver cages complimented by the even tone from a metronome resting in the corner. The sweet smell of cinnamon filled his nose, reminding him of his favorite biscuits his mother used to make. If he closed his eyes, he could remember an old memory-half forgotten by time and stress. In the memory, a very young William was sitting on the corner of the table, his mouth watering in anticipation of the first batch of cookies soon to come out. When his mother spoke, it was a clear melody he would recognize anywhere.

"Now, now William. You know the rules. Wait at least ten minutes before you eat them, or you'll burn your mouth." When the younger William started pouting, she hugged him and added, "Maybe we can cut that down to five." Then the memory of his mother smiled. It was not a fake or tired smile like he had grown accustomed to all these years. It was a true smile that showed in her eyes as well as her mouth. William felt a pang of nostalgia and gloom as he watched his mother pull the biscuits from the hot oven and place the tray carefully on the stove. His sadness deepened as he remembered the day his father died. His mother had locked herself in her room for a week, only opening up the door to take some of the food that William had made. He had to take care of his sister from then on because their mother never fully recuperated. She was slightly better now, but she still has days where she just stayed in bed all day and William would have to take care of the house.

The loud shriek of a bird woke him from his memories. William shook his head, willing the images to dissipate. His head felt like it was being jabbed with hundreds of sharp needles; whether the pain was from the memories or lack of food and sleep was up for debate. Maybe it was a combination of both, but William pushed through it to finish the job he came for. He walked up to the Cabinet and laid his hand on the smooth, dark wood. He opened the door and peered inside. It was empty but it was obvious that this object was yearning for something to transport to its twin Cabinet. William picked up an old advanced potions book, worn from years of use. He peered suspiciously at it and tested the weight in his hands. He then carefully placed it on the floor and shut the door.

"Harmonia Nectere Passus," William recited as he shut his eyes. He took a deep breath and repeated the charm until he heard a quiet whoosh. William opened the door and was mildly shocked when he saw that the Cabinet was completely empty.

_I can do this,_ William thought determinedly. _I can change the Wizarding world.___


	14. The Kids Aren’t Okay

**The Defense Against The Dark Arts Classroom**

"And that, everybody, is a Trickster!" Sam Winchester's voice rang through the crowd as the bell rung, signalling the end of the class.

"Hey, guys, don't forget to start your essay on alternate universes. It's still due Wednesday." Groans accompanied Dean's reminder as the students got up to leave. Several students were hanging around to ask questions when Professor Trelawney walked into the classroom, her scarves flowing behind her. She was dressed in bright pinks and purples with a violet scarf tieing her wild hair up. Her overall look was frightening to the students, who had never seen the teacher wearing anything that matched, much less see her walking with an air of confidence. When Sam caught sight of her, he felt an overwhelming sense of nausea as he looked to his brother for support. He found none, seeing that Dean was trying desperately to stifle his laughter.

Trelawney glided up to Sam. "I was looking into the future, when I saw us having a romantic candle-lit dinner up in my office," She breathed as she took a small, folded piece of parchment and placed it into the stunned hunter's hand. She then sighed and closed her eyes before turning sharply and walking out of the classroom without looking back. Sam carefully opened up the note and shuttered when he saw the amount of hearts drawn on, bewitched to fly off the page and into the air around him. Sam looked to Dean with a wild look in his eyes and loudly proclaimed, "I am NOT meeting her at 8 tonight for a candle-lit dinner."

The next class was the sixth-years. The two brothers had noticed around Halloween that the class was usually short one student by the name of William Prang. Sam was beginning to get worried about the kid, an anxiety that Dean shared. Whenever he showed up to class, he looked awful. The teenager had gotten seriously thin with dark circles covering his prominent cheekbones. He was in class today and looked like he was a few days away from becoming a ghost. At the end of class, Sam and Dean had decided to talk to him and see if they could help him with anything.

"William Prang, can we see you after class?" Sam called out right before the bell rung. William got up sluggishly and made his way up to where the Professors were.

"William, we're worried about you." Sam said gently.

"Yeah, you look awful." Dean said not so gently. Sam shot a dirty look to his brother before shaking his head.

"What my brother means to say is that you don't come to class very often and when you do, you aren't really paying attention."

William looked at the two concerned adults before him and found himself in an internal debate. Maybe I should tell them… No, it'll just mess everything up. They seem nice though. Yeah, they just want to ruin everything you and TAVR have been working on. No, he finally decided. I can't tell them.

"I'm fine," William said out loud. "Just mind your own business." He snapped as he turned around and left the class, leaving the Professors frustrated and worried.

Sam turned to his brother. "I think we need to go to McGonagall."  
—x-  
"And he's not showing up to most of the classes." Sam finished. During their free period, Sam and Dean marched up to the Headmistress' office to see what they should do in regards to William Prang.

They watched McGonagall's face as she remembered the similarities between William and Draco Malfoy's sixth year and the events that followed. _But Draco was always troubled,_ she reasoned. _The Malfoy family wasn't always the best to him._

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I can assure you that I will look into this."


	15. It’s A Terrible Life

**Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom**

Dean's red ink pen scratched against the essays he was grading as his stomach growled for the third time. The hunter sighed, regretting the promise he made to his brother about grading the rest of the papers. He was hungry and winced when he saw what time it was. Dinner ended in five minutes and there was no way he would make it. He looked back to the stack of papers, a wave of gloom washing over him. Dean looked up upon hearing a light knock on the door before it opened slightly. A girl with fiery-red hair popped her head through the open door and smiled sheepishly.

"Hey Professor…"

Dean ran his hand through his short hair, struggling to remember the girl's name. "Hello, umm…" He sighed, her name just on the tip of his tongue but out of reach.

"Siobhan, Slytherin house." She said with a slight smile as Dean quietly groaned.

"I'm sorry, it's just been a long day." Dean replied as he put his pen in his desk. Dean had promised McGonagall that he wouldn't let the students see him use pens due to the students only being allowed quills. Sam's studious nature had embraced the use of a quill, however Castiel found feather quills to be slightly offensive. Dean just couldn't see the point when he could order a large package of pens.

"It's fine. Happens a lot Professor. I...uh…" She pursed her lips as she held up a scroll of parchment. "I know it's late sir, but I've been at Quidditch practice and…" Dean cut off the student's rambling and held out his hand. She gave him her essay with an uneasy look, ready to be scolded for her lateness.

"So what position do you play?" Dean asked casually, making the student relax instantly as he glanced over her essay.

"Beater, sir." She beamed. "We won against Ravenclaw last Saturday."

"Yeah, I saw you play that game. You're good." Dean praised. He started going to all the Quidditch games and found that he really did enjoy it.

"Thank you sir, and thank you for taking my essay." She said gratefully. Dean was about to comment, but a growl from his stomach stopped him.

"Hungry?" She asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah," He answered. "I've been so busy grading that I missed dinner."

"Oh well, you know where the Hufflepuff staircase is?" Dean nodded, remembering back to his first week at the enormous school where he was constantly lost. "Well, if you go to the painting of the bowl of fruit and tickle the pear, it will open up to the kitchens. There, the house-elves will cook you whatever you want." Siobhan explained.

"Really?" Dean asked, his interest peaked.

"Yeah, so I guess this means that my lateness is forgiven…?"

"Definitely." Dean smiled, thinking of the prospect of food.

"Cool. Well, I've got to go study, but thank you." She turned and left, her red hair flowing behind her. Dean looked to the stack of papers left to be graded, then tucked them into his desk and stood up.

Dean strut through the hallways, smiling whenever a student greeted him. He arrived at the painting of the fruit and felt self conscious as he reached up to tickle the pear. When he did, it swung open to reveal a bright kitchen full of small creatures with large pointed ears and saucer-shaped eyes. A house-elf saw him in the doorway and let out a high pitched squeal, alerting the rest of the workers to Dean's presence. Suddenly, Dean was surrounded by a dozen elves, who quickly bowed.

"Can we gets you foods, sir?" A slightly larger elf with green eyes asked as he brought Dean over to a small table in the corner by the fire. A group of elves started bringing Dean platters of food, along with a pitcher of water.

"Oh, thank you guys. This food looks great!" Dean beamed as he looked to a plate of chicken. The elves bowed before continuing their duties. Dean look a large bite of chicken and chewed happily. He was about to take a sip of water when he heard a small crying sound followed by hiccups. He looked around and saw a very small elf on a stool wearing a filthy dress. She was surrounded by dirty mugs and held another in a shaky hand. Concerned, Dean turned to the closest elf.

"Hey, what's wrong with the little one?" Dean asked.

"Oh sirs, that's Winky, don't worry sir. She gets sads but don't worrys." The elf answered as he looked to the corner where Winky sat before giving Dean a low bow. Dean looked back at her as the other elf left. He recognized the common signs of someone who had been drinking and the other elf's dismissive nature bothered him. Dean turned to another elf and asked if they had any alcohol that he could have.

"Sirs, we have firewhiskey and sherrys. Which woulds you likes, sir?"

"The whiskey, please." The elf bustled over to a cupboard and produced a large bottle of honey colored alcohol.

"Heres sir." The elf handed the bottle over and Dean thanked him, causing the elf to blush and rush back to the stove he was cleaning. Dean took the bottle and slowly walked towards the weepy elf. He sat down on a stool near Winky.

"Hey Winky," She looked up to Dean with teary eyes and hiccupped. "That's your name isn't it?"

Winky nodded before taking a long sip of her butterbeer. "Yous is one of the new Professors."

"Dean Winchester." He held out his hand for Winky to shake, but she just looked at it curiously.

"Yous hand is empty, sir. Do yous needing something from Winky?" She asked as she sat up on her stool, causing some of the empty mugs to knock on their side.

"No, no. I just wanted to see why you were crying, Winky. You looked upset." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Winky just gets sad, sir. Winky thinks of her masters sir and Winky gets sad." She hiccupped again. "Winky's masters is gone, gone, gone, gone." She cried as she took another swig of the butterbeer.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. You know, I get sad sometimes too." Dean said as he opened up the bottle of firewhiskey and poured some into his mug. He felt the familiar burn of whiskey as he took a small sip of the alcohol.

Winky widened her already large eyes. "Yous gets sad too?"

Dean pursed his lips and smiled tightly. "Yeah, I do." He answered. "Sometimes I think about the family I've lost and it makes me sad. And sometimes I drink because of it."

"Who has you losts, sir?" Winky asked. "Winky's not trying to be nosing, sir. Winky would never want to nose in yours life, sir. Never." Dean took another swig before answering.

"It's okay, Winky. And, well," Dean started. "A lot of people. My father, my mother. I had a sister too…" Dean trailed off. "Charlie…" He whispered as Winky watched him closely. The hunter cleared his throat before continuing. "And you?"

Winky gave a small cry. "Winky has lost everyone. Winky lost Mr. Crouch and master Barty and friend Dobby." Winky snuffled.

"Well, to friends and family." Dean raised his mug and clicked it on Winky's. They both took another drink of alcohol and spent the next moment in silence for their lost loved ones. "Tomorrow's going to be hard, with it being Thanksgiving."

Winky's glassy brown eyes narrowed in confusion. "Thanksgivings, sir?"

"Oh, I forgot it's an American thing. It's a holiday where you get all of your friends and family together and give thanks for all you have." Dean explained. "And you eat a feast."

"A feasts?" Winky asked with excitement.

"Yeah," Dean smiled. "You know, turkey, stuffing. Cranberry sauce. Pie," He looked at Winky. "Love me some pie." Winky looked at the clock on the wall and gasped.

"Its lates, sirs. Yous should be off to bed." Winky hopped off her stool, and wobbled a bit. She shook her finger at Dean, prompting him to get up. "Winky thanks you, sirs. For listenings." She led him back to the closed portrait and opened it. With a slight smile, she said, "Now, goes straight to beds. Sleep, master Dean."

Dean walked through the door, shaking his head. _I just got sent off to bed by a little elf who doesn't even come up to my knees._ He slightly laughed to himself as he walked back to his room. Dean found that he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

—x-  
**The Defense Against The Dark Arts Classroom**

Dean groaned. The day had been too long, but he made it through. Sam was straightening up the classroom as Castiel walked in.

"Hey Cas, ready for dinner?" Dean asked as he finished grading the last of the essays.

"I know I am." Sam chimed in. All three turned when they heard a loud crack sound coming from their office. Dean looked at Sam before opening an enchanted, secret compartment in his desk that housed both hunter's guns. He tossed Sam's gun to him before positioning his own gun at the office door. Sam came up behind him and grabbed the door handle, quickly opening it when Dean nodded. In their office was a large table covered in a Thanksgiving feast- A beautiful turkey, and every side you could think of. There was a large bowl of rolls next to five different kinds of pie. Sam and Dean lowered their guns, then put them away altogether. Next to the table was Winky in a clean dress, bowing at them.

"Uh, hi, Winky." Dean said as he walked closer to him. "This is my brother Sam and our friend Castiel." Winky glanced at them before looking back at Dean.

"Master Dean! Winky has made Thanksgiving for master and family. To make master happy." Sam's eyes widened as he looked from the large feast to the tiny house-elf.

"Oh, well thank you, Winky. You didn't have to do this." Winky moved the chair closest to Dean, prompting him and the others to sit.

"Winky hads to make the Thanksgiving master Dean wanted." She gave an uneasy smile, worried that Dean wouldn't like the feast.

"It's great Winky. Thank you." Dean said, smiling at her. Winky moved away as if to leave. "Aren't you staying?"

Winky's lip trembled as she burst into tears, overcome with Dean's kindness towards her. "M-m-master D-Dean wants Winky tos stay?"

Dean felt uncomfortable as Winky sobbed, and looked to Sam for help. "Only if you'd like to."

"Winky is honored, master." She climbed into a chair and wiped off some of her tears.

The group sat and ate, enjoying each other's company. They told stories of loved ones past, and even Winky sharing a story about her friend Dobby.

"He was a free elfs. Free." She teared up again, but didn't cry, nor did she drink any butterbeer. Dean tried every kind of pie and everyone ate until they felt stuffed. It had been one of the best Thanksgivings that Dean had ever had.


	16. After School Special

**Headmisstress' Office**

"Now, William, other Professors have been worried as well. You've missed most of your Defense Against The Dark Arts classes as well as Herbology and Potions. You take your N.E.W.T.S next year and at this rate, you may not be able to pass them." William Prang was refusing to meet her eyes as he half-heartedly listened to yet another teacher's "concern" for his wellbeing. They even wrote to his mother, who in turn sent a letter that William has yet to open. And this was making the teachers frustrated as well. Headmistress McGonagall was exhausted, to say the least. The only thing keeping her patient through this day was the prospect of seeing her partner, Lochan Dryagomir, at the Three Broomsticks tonight. Lochan had just gotten back from a job in Romania working alongside Charlie Weasley and some unruly dragons, meaning he finally had some time off to spend with her. McGonagall's thoughts were cut short by William's huff of impatience.  
"Can I go now?"

She sighed and waved her hand. William stood up abruptly and left the Headmistress' office without another glance back.  
—x-  
"I'm telling you, Lochan, I am worried about this poor boy. I've seen this before," McGonagall kept her voice down as she leaned forward in her seat. "With Draco Malfoy."

Lochan Dryagomir despised the Malfoys and realized Minerva must be very distressed if she was willing to bring up the past like that. The Death Eaters tried to recruit Lochan once he graduated from Durmstrang, but unlike so many others, he was able to evade them. He spent the rest of the war hiding a group of half-blood and muggle born wizards from the corrupted government until it was overthrown. Even though the Malfoys lived peacefully now without dark magic, Lochan distrusted them vehemently. He took a swig of his Dragon Barrel Brandy to wash out his mind and looked over to Minerva. She had already finished her glass of wine, prompting Lochan to raise his hand to flag the server for more.

"Minerva, have you given thought that you may be," He paused, grasping for the right word. "Looking...For something wrong here? I mean, maybe the kid's got trouble at home; or he's having problems with other students." Even in the smoky tavern, he could see Minerva's signature look of disappointment. "I'm just saying sweetie, maybe you're seeing the Malfoy boy and not him." Lochan took Minerva's hand and ran his thumb over the soft skin.

"I see you've been burned again." Minerva moved her partner's sleeve up to reveal a large burn on his right forearm, the new wounds standing out vibrantly over the scars that had faded through the years.

Lochan smiled. The lighting hit his face just right, making the white scarring on the left side of his face show up even more prominently. "A Ukrainian Ironbelly. Nasty one living in Pryp'yat', over by Chernobyl. The radiation made her fire burn as hot as benzene and it just seared through my jacket." The way Lochan talked about dragons always made Minerva smile and it was easy to see why she loved him. He started discussing how the radiation would change the dragon's chemistry, making his points with large hand gestures and jokes.

Lochan stopped his lecture and looked up to see a waiter bringing over more refills of their drinks. He closed his eyes and a clear ripple (not unlike water after a stone has been tossed on it) moved over Lochan's skin, causing an illusion of unburnt skin. It was a trick that McGonagall had taught him one particularly hard day out. That day in May would forever be etched in Lochan's memory.

It was a sweltering hot day and he had taken McGonagall out to Diagon Alley for some shopping. The dragon wrangler was used to wizards and muggles alike staring, causing negative attention when it came to his looks. However, the longer one spoke to the Bulgarian wizard, the easier it was to see his beauty. The burn scar wrapped around his left eye, down his cheek, and snaked its way to his neck and shoulder. His striking green eyes were bright with youthfulness and gave his demeaner an almost child-like quality. The main problem was that people never gave him a chance to talk, and rather preferred to avoid him. The turning point was when a little boy came up to him and asked about his scars. Lochan had smiled and was in the middle of the explanation when the child's mother dragged him away. Lochan could hear the woman harshly asking the child if he wanted scars like that, as if Lochan's burns were a contagious plague that would cause her little one the same fate. McGonagall spent the next week creating a charm to give the illusion that Lochan was not burned and started teaching him how to perform it. Now, he could clear it without a problem and did so when the company would not be understanding. He cherished his time with Minerva where he could be himself.

It was late into the night when the pair retired.  
—x-  
**Saturday Morning**

The sun was shining high in the sky, glittering off the snow that blanketed the ground and topped the high towers of Hogwarts. The excitement in the air was palpable and even the low temperature could not curb the student's enthusiasm as they flocked outside. Dean Winchester had convinced Sam that the best place for them to plan out their next lesson was outside.

"Get some fresh air, Sammy. It's good for you." Dean looked over to a group of Hufflepuffs making a huge snowman and marveled when they used magic to lift a large snow-sculpted hat up onto the snowman's head. They've been at Hogwarts for several months now and the magic these kids could do never ceased to amaze him.

"I prefer the fresh air when it's warm and when I can feel my toes." Sam rubbed his mitten-clad hands together before leafing through the John Winchester journal. They needed to keep their classes interesting for the students. They were looking into Djinns when a shadow fell over the two men. Dean looked up to see Siobhan Hesse, the student who turned in her essay late and told him about the house-elves in the kitchen. She was wearing a coat with a thick scarf and her red hair was tied up out of her face, which was bright with excitement. She held her hands behind her back.

"Hello Professors!" Siobhan beamed as she quickly looked back to a group of her friends, who nodded encouragingly. Before the brothers could say anything back, a snowball hit Sam square in the chest. They looked down in surprise, then back at Siobhan, who was laughing and running back to her friends. Sam and Dean glanced at each other for only a moment before they bent down to form their own ammunition. Siobhan's group of friends, a mixture of Slytherins and Gryffindors, took this as a sign: The snowball fight had begun.

"Dean, we're surrounded!" Sam's head whipped around as his wet back pressed up against a stone wall. A group of students were advancing towards them, their arms poised to throw. Several of the older students had used their wands to build a snowball field, complete with snow barriers and shields. To make both sides as fair as possible, no other magic was allowed.

Dean was kneeling down in the snow behind some cover, quickly rounding the snow and handing them to his brother. He peeked his head out of the safety of his ice wall to assess the situation. "Well, at least we can attack in any direction!" A snowball crashed into the stone wall just inches away from Dean's head, leaving an icy trail of slush. Dean smiled, launching his own ammunition at a Gryffindor named Shah Barr. He ducked and the snow hit Phillip Telle (a fifth-year Slytherin) behind him, causing Shah to laugh and run away from Phillip. In response, Phillip chased after Shah, his new target.

Siobhan was hit by another rogue snowball. Her teeth were chattering; Her fingernails and lips had a blueish tint to them. This, however, didn't stop her from launching more attacks against the two Winchesters. It became clear that she was the mastermind behind this operation as she led her troops into the snowy battle. She made eye contact with her second in command, a dark haired Slytherin by the name of Vincent Cruz, and made a hand signal; Vincent nodded sharply. He nudged two people and whispered instructions to them before sneaking out of view. Siobhan made another gesture that caused a hail of snowballs to be launched in the Winchester's direction. This distracted the two brothers as the three other students crept up right behind one of the barriers behind the Professors. Each brother was hit square in the back of the head, and by then, it was over.

Sam's scarf flew off his neck as his head was targeted in another attack. By now, everyone was thoroughly drenched and in various states of freezing, with one Gryffindor's lips an alarming shade of lapis blue. Upon seeing the ragged group of students, Sam Winchester made a decision. He picked up his scarf and waved it in the air.

"White flag! You win, guys." Cheering erupted from Siobhan's team as the students left their barriers and picked up their leader. Several muggle-born students started singing, "We Are The Champions" by Queen and even though they lost, Sam and Dean were laughing and joined in. Siobhan was let down in front of the Professors and offered her hand to shake.

"Good game, guys."

"Good game." The brothers agreed as they each shook her hand.

The house-elves were more than happy to provide the cold students with warm cocoa and snacks in the Great Hall. Sam and Dean sat at one of the long tables with Winky the house-elf, who kept covering Dean up with multiple scarfs and hats.

Winky wiggled her finger at him before wrapping another scarf around his arm. "Master Dean shouldn't gone out there, you is goings to get sick." Sam stifled a laugh while his brother glared at him. Watching Dean being "mom"ed by a tiny little elf was something Sam found to be hilarious.

"Here, Sam," Dean took a scarf from Winky's hands and wrapped it around Sam's head so only his eyes were visible. "Perfect." Sam rolled his eyes and began unraveling the scarf so he could drink his cocoa.

William W. Prang heard the cries of excitement as he walked past a window and looked up to see a large group of students in a snowball fight against the two new Defense Against The Dark Arts teachers. Had William not been so preoccupied with reading his newest TAVR letter, maybe he would have joined them. Or maybe not, William thought soberingly. It's not like people want to be around me anymore.

He hurried down the corridor and tried to shake the thoughts out of his head. Instead, he thought about TAVR. They expressed their gratitude towards the effort William was making. He was beginning to excel at the vanishing cabinet, now able to vanish such things like fruit and, on one occasion, a small ferret. William counted the ferret as a failure though, due to the animal's death minutes after it was sent into Hogwarts. TAVR's letter explained that they had an inkling that the Headmistress had put a curse upon the castle so no living thing could enter without her approval. It was, however, believed that the curse could be lifted, or maybe suspended, long enough to sneak some members of TAVR in. But to find the counter-curse, William would need to find refuge in the library; A place he was heading to when he bumped (quite literally) into his old friend Fletcher.

"Hey, watch where you're walking!" Fletcher said before realizing that it was William. "Oh, yeah. You must be too busy ignoring everyone to pay attention."

"Shut it, Fletcher," William mumbled. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Fletcher's eye widened. "I don't know what I'm talking about? You're the one walking around like a zombie, not eating and skipping classes? That's not like you."

"I said shut it," William said again, only this time he punctuated it with a small shove as he tried to move past Fletcher. Fletcher shoved William back, and within a minute, the two were throwing punches. Fletcher hit his ex-friend's nose with a sickening crack before William retaliated with a punch to the gut. It was loud enough that Neville Longbottom, who was off to the library himself, came running over to break it up.

"Get off! Off!" Neville dragged Fletcher off William and stood between them. He looked at each one and asked, "What are you guys doing?"

"Well, he started it!" Fletcher accused as he wiped his bloody mouth with his coat sleeve.

"I don't care! You both are going to go to Madame Pomfrey and 50 point each are being taken from Gryffindor."

On the long walk to the infirmary, William thought a lot about his former friend and for the first time, he wondered if it was worth it to be working with TAVR...


	17. Reichenbach

**TAVR's Meeting Room**

The room was dark with only the faintest light coming from the full moon, shining in through the open window. The tension in the air was palpable and emanating from the long table taking up the entire space. At the table sat thirteen people ranging in height and age, with one common feature tieing them all together. Everyone at the table was-at least in part- a vampire. Their extremely pale skin seemed to glow in the moonlight, creating a false illusion of angelic innocence. Two large men stood in the corner with their arms crossed over their chests. In the one's hand was a knife; both were armed with their wands. The leader, a dark haired vampire with green eyes and a bored expression, stood up, causing all the murmurs to cease.

"Allies," He waved his hand towards the other vampires in the room. "Friends." He gave the group an unnerving smile and two of the newest members cringed slightly. If you blinked, you would have certainly missed their flinching, but vampires had faster reflexes. The leader, a full vampire by the name of Mors Mangone, definitely noticed their reactions. "As you all know, our plan has advanced to the next stage. Our young Mr. Prang has found a way to suspend the spell the Headmistress McGonagall," His speech was interrupted by several low hisses of annoyance. Mors rolled his eyes and waited for the room to quiet. "The spell," He continued. "Will be tested tonight. If he can get this bat," He moved to the small cage covered by a piece of silk sitting on the edge of the table and removed the cloth. Inside was an albino bat, fluttering around the cage in a frenzy. "Into Hogwarts safely, then the final plan will be in motion. And Hogwarts will be ours!"

The second in command, Bellator Tenebrae (named after her relative Bellatrix LeStrange due to her uncanny resemblance to the former witch) stood next to Mors and beamed brightly. "First Hogwarts, then the Ministry! We will have justice!" The room erupted in applause and Mors felt power rushing in his veins.

A sound, barely audible over the applause, made its way from the cabinet in the corner through the room. "Silencio!" Bellator cried. Everyone became quiet immediately as the silencing charm cast over the room. Again, the knocking could be heard faintly but steadily. Bellator's eyes widened as she realized that the sound was coming from the vanishing cabinet and she looked to her leader for instruction. He nodded his head slightly, an indication that she should be the one to open the door. She lifted the silencing spell with a flick of her wand, but the room remained quiet. She pointed the group's two Irish henchman standing in the corner, Sic Ventus and Brutus Exitiale. They were often just referred to as "Deartháir", meaning brother. They came to stand behind her as she stood in front of the cabinet, wands raised in defense.

She reached out to grab the handle, and the room seemed to collectively hold its breath. She threw open the door and a small spotted brown owl flew out. It circled the room before landing in front of the bat's cage. In her mouth was a piece of parchment, rolled tightly for her to carry.

Bellator's eyes flashed as she looked wildly to Mors. For a brief moment, shock crossed his face. He quickly suppressed it, knowing that any sign of weakness would tear at the precarious position of the faction he worked hard to build.

"Deartháir," Mors flicked his hand towards the bird. "Grab the note."

The two fighters looked at each other before Brutus approached the table and snatched the paper from the owl. She squawked loudly prompting Bellator to growl.

"Can I...play… with the little birdy, Sir?" She glanced at Mors with excited eyes as she reached a hand towards the owl. He could see plain as day that her "play" would cost the animal its life. Mors liked animals more than most people and did not like to see animals hurt. Bellator, however, had no such inhibitions and took pleasure in watching things wither by her own hands. She snapped her hand back as if she'd been burned and held her head down when he said, "No." A witch in the back breathed a sigh of relief. Bellator's head snapped in the witch's direction.

Mors rolled his eyes at Bellator then looked expectantly at the Deartháir with the note. "Well?"

The Deartháir unrolled the note and squinted at the note a moment. "I have repaired the cabinet, per your instructions. I await your next command," His thick Irish accent cut through the tense room. "Send the reply through Hailia, the owl." Sic stood next to his partner in crime and started mindlessly cleaning his knife with his shirt.

"What does this mean?" A dark haired wizard asked after several moments of silence. The group looked to Mors, whose left side of his face twisted into a perverted smile.

"It means, my dear Theodore, that we are at war."

**Defense Against the Dark Arts**

"Okay first years!" Dean Winchester clapped his hands together loudly. Sam was sick from the snowball fight, taking residence in the infirmary. Madame Pomfry was in the process of curing his strep throat and would not be able to teach for several days. This left Dean in charge of the kids, something he was not too comfortable with. "Today, we are learning about the King of Hell." Most students looked confused and several gasped out loud. "Come down and stand in a circle guys." All the students jumped eagerly out of their seats to form a large circle around a mat on the floor.

"Now, we don't normally do this, and it can be very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing." Dean looked around to make sure that the students were paying attention. "Summoning a demon is not easy and should not be done for fun." A blonde girl raised her hand. Dean nodded his head at her to speak.

"If it's so dangerous, why are you doing it?" The group around her nodded; Obviously they had had this concern as well.

"My brother and I have known and worked with Crowley, the King Of Hell, for many years. I got permission from the Headmistress for this and have taken precautions." Dean grabbed a can of red spray paint. He showed the students the can. "Spray paint-very useful for every Hunter, seeing that most summoning rituals will require you to draw a sigil. Anyone know what a sigil is?"

A timid boy raised his hand but answered the question confidently. "A sigil is a sign or symbol that can be used in magic to draw power to a specific place."

"Very good," Dean glanced at the kid and recognized him as Thomas MacGreen. "10 points to Ravenclaw." A Ravenclaw near Thomas playfully punched him on the shoulder and smiled.

"Now, the first step, everyone, is to draw out our sigil on this mat. We're doing this on a mat because the Headmistress refused to let me spray paint the ground in the castle." Several of the students giggled. "Another reason why we are doing this on a mat is because I have drawn a Devil's Trap on the other side." Dean flipped over the mat to show the students the sigil. "This will make it so Crowley cannot step off of the mat, making this exercise a lot safer. I will, however, ask that you all be kind and courteous to him. The sigil we are drawing on the top of the mat is the one to summon Crowley. It is essentially a triangle inside of a circle that's big enough for a person to stand in." The scent of spray paint mixed in the room as Dean drew the shapes under the eager eyes of the students.

Dean walked over to his bag and pulled out three black candles. "We are going to place a candle each on the tips of the triangle, then light them." He handed a candle to three different students for them to place on the mat. Dean pulled a lighter out of his pocket.

"Can I light them?" Dean looked over to a girl, smaller than the rest of the students. Her flat black hair was braided back and her tie indicated that she was a Hufflepuff. Dean looked down at his open lighter, then closed it and returned it to his pocket.

"Sure." Dean answered. He watched as the little girl pulled out her wand and pointed to one of the candles.

"Incendio," She whispered as sparks flew from the tip of her wand. All three candles were lit.

"Thank you, well done." Dean turned and grabbed a bowl filled with various dried herbs, nuts, and fruits. "Pass this around, please, Pam." He handed the bowl to Pam Mayes. "Don't touch the inside of it, just look." After the bowl was passed around the circle, Dean placed it at the top of the sigil. "And now, we light it. If you don't mind," The teacher added. "I will light it myself, for safety." Dean flicked the lighter to life and dropped it in the bowl. The children watched in excitement as a puff of red smoke filled the circle. A short fair-skinned man clad in a dark, tailored suit emerged from the smoke. He looked around at the kids in confusion until his eyes rested on Dean.

"Dean Winchester! Haven't seen you in a bit," Crowley glanced around the room as if he was looking for someone. "Where's Moose? Off playing with Luci? And your pet angel?" He took a step towards Dean, but was stopped before he stood off the mat. Dean smirked as the students looked at them with excitement. This was better than television. "Oh. Look who's learning. Devil's Trap, very smart. Especially for you, Squirrel."

"Class," Dean addressed them in a loud, confident voice. "This is Crowley, King of Hell." The kids erupted into applause and Crowley's eyes widened in shock before he took a slight bow.

"Class?" Crowley turned to Dean. "Someone left you in charge of children?" The demon's eyes widened in mock concern. "Is this where you three ran off to? You know," Dean rolled his eyes as the demon continued complaining. "There's been a lot of trouble since you left. Trouble that I have had to clean up."

"Not now." Dean growled as he tipped his head to the group of first years watching expectantly. Crowley sighed dramatically.

"You know, Squirrel, I usually book ahead for parties. I'll give you the friends and family discount, for old times sake."

"Okay! Any questions for the King Of Hell before he starts monologuing?" Dean asked the kids. Almost everyone's hands shot up into the air and Crowley visibly brightened. He liked being the center of attention, even if he had been called against his will.

"You," Crowley pointed into the group. "My little redheaded friend."

"Are the one that the Muggles call the Devil?" Crowley looked to dean and mouthed, "Muggles?" Dean walked close to the King and quickly explained the answer to his question.

"No," Crowley responded to the girl. "I am not the Devil. The Devil was put in a cage deep in Hell by non other than your teacher and his brother. Next question?"

"Why do you look normal if you're a demon?" Another student asked.

Crowley walked as close to the edge of the mat as the sigil allowed and stared at the boy; He flicked his eyes so they were glossy black. The boy who asked the question jumped back and started shaking as did another. Crowley flicked his eyes back to normal and smiled.

Dean shook his head and rubbed his eyes with his hand. His watch said that they had ten more minutes until the next class. "Okay guys, one more question, then Crowley's got to go!"

Crowley frowned at Dean-he was having fun. Hell was really slow today and he had been bored before Dean summoned him.

"What's your favorite thing about being the King of Hell?" A Hufflepuff asked. Dean gave Crowley a look that clearly said, "Choose your words carefully".

"Nobody tells me what to do, and people have to listen to me." Crowley answered simply as he turned back to Dean. "It's been great talking to you all, but I've got things to do. Give my greetings to Moose and your pet Angel." Crowley gave a half-wave to the students before disappearing in more red smoke. The students clapped, then went back to their seats to pick up their belongings before leaving the classroom.

This class had gone better than Dean had thought it would


	18. Citizen Fang

**The Great Hall, Breakfast Time**

"Dean, have you read this yet?" Sam Winchester asked as he slid the muggle newspaper over to his brother. McGonagall had muggle newspapers flown in daily via owl for the two brothers so they could feel more in touch with their world. It upset Sam that his beloved laptop malfunctioned every time he tried to boot it up. Katherine curiously looked over Dean's shoulder to read the bold headline.

**"8 Dead In Bizarre Jack-The-Ripper Type Attacks In Whitechapel District"**

_By Rosilyn Margaux_

_The male prostitutes of the Whitechapel district have reason to fear after 8 local men were brutally attacked in a style reminiscent of the notorious serial killer Jack The Ripper. Although Jack The Ripper was never apprehended, he supposedly terrorised London from 1888 to 1891 by assaulting and "ripping" apart his victims . We only know of 5 confirmed victims of Jack, all of which are believed to have been female prostitutes. The current murder victims were blonde men between the ages of 23 to 26. The known male prostitutes were torn apart and drained of nearly all their blood._

_"I have never seen a case of this, uh, magnitude. We have no leads at this time. That's all I can say right now." The Scotland Yard detective told me Sunday morning as the 8th body, Ethan Harding, was found in an alleyway. When I attempted to contact the family for a comment, they replied "no comment"._

_Scotland Yard is cautioning all men, regardless of their jobs, to stay indoors at night and off the streets of this infamous district._

Dean finished the article and handed it back to Sam. He took a swig of his coffee before continuing eating his breakfast.

"So?" Dean asked expectantly as he swallowed his bacon. "There's a copycat serial killer. Big whup."

"Here, read _The Daily Prophet_," Katherine put the wizarding newspaper in between the two brothers. "Their take on the story is slightly different." Gryffin leaned over and scoffed.

"You're not reading that rubbish again, are you?" He rolled his eyes.

"I think it's a vampire!" Katherine exclaimed defensively. "Or at least someone trying to make it look like a vampire did it."

**"Vampires Bite Again!"**

_Tensions rise in the Ministry as an 8th body was found drained of blood in a muggle district in London. The Whitechapel District is no stranger to disaster, as everyone remembers the Werewolf Ripper of 1888. Winstion Braedon, a werewolf born in 1872, was caught by Ministry officials and charged with 18 murders of muggles and sentenced to life in Azkaban. Braedon was thrown out of Durmstrang as a young teen after he attacked a student and then disappeared until the murders started. It is believed that he was unable to control his condition and ripped apart the victims so they would not become werewolves like him, showing a rare moment of clarity._

_The murders now are believed to be the work of a vampire, supported by the draining of the victims blood. The Ministry has been having trouble as of late with vampires demanding more rights. Anxiety is high as vampires threaten more dramatic measures to get what they call "their right to education and freedom from persecution"._

_Is this just a muggle who fancies the notorious mass murderer? Or could this be a vampire fed up with the disgrace history has pushed onto vampire's shadows?_

**An article written by the brilliant Adam de Cove who has also written articles about the current vampire crisis**

Sam read the article and stared at Katherine and Gryffin.

"Jack The Ripper was a werewolf?" He asked in disbelief. Sam glanced at his brother, who just finished the article. Dean looked as taken aback as Sam felt.

"Yep," Gryffin answered. "You'd be surprised at the amount of serial killers that the Muggles never caught that ended up being rogue wizards or vampires or weres."

Katherine waved her fork with a bit of egg on it in Dean's direction. "Yeah those American Anthrax attacks in 2001 was done by Orion..What was it, Gryff? Orion Blackfield?" Gryffin nodded. "Anyways, he was an Auror particularly skilled in herbology. He was attacking muggle-borns."

"Auror?" Dean questioned.

"Officials that catch dark wizards," Gryffin answered.

"Kinda like police, but for the really bad wizards." Katherine added. She made a face at the plate of eggs she was eating and pushed it away. Gryffin handed her a slice of toast, which she took gratefully.

"When do classes end for the break?" Sam asked, a plan forming in his head.

"Two days. Most of the kids leave, but a handful stay and have Christmas here. Gryffin and I are going over to my parents house," Katherine smiled up at her partner, a knowing look in her eyes. "Should we tell 'em?" Her normally red hair brightened into it was a vibrant shade of pink.

A grin spread over Gryffin's face and he nodded.

"I'm pregnant!" Katherine announced.

"Hey, congratulations!" Dean clapped Gryffin on the shoulder as Sam went over to hug her.

"We're going to tell my parents over the break," Katherine beamed, unable to stop smiling.

"They just love that we aren't married yet," Gryffin mumbled sarcastically to Sam. "Not that I haven't tried."

"Oi, I heard that!" Katherine stated as she wagged her finger at him. Gryffin smiled playfully and kissed her on the cheek.

"Dean," Sam turned to his brother after the table calmed down from the good news. "Fancy a trip to London for our break?"

Dean sighed. "Do I have a choice?"

"Nope."

**The Whitechapel District of London, 7 p.m.**

The East-end of London was chilly, especially at this time of night. Snow clung to Dean's boots as he pulled his coat tighter around himself and shivered. He was miserable to say the least.

Sam, however, looked happy as could be as he tromped around, pink cheeks and a map in his hand. "Here," Sam pointed down to a dark alley in front of them. "This is where the latest murder was." To Dean, it just looked like another dark, creepy alleyway; cobblestone and all.

"I hope Cas is having fun in the warm castle." Dean said, his voice tinged in jealousy. Castiel had stayed behind at the request of McGonagall to tutor some of the students who were spending their holidays back at Hogwarts.

"He looked pretty content to be spending more time teaching," Sam said distractedly as he inspected a drop of old blood on the wall of the alley.

"I'd be content to be warm," Dean muttered. He was about to suggest a break, preferably the warm pub around the corner, when he saw a figure move in the corner of his eye. He turned his head slightly, and the figure was gone. "Hey, Sammy," Dean kept his voice even. "I think there's something stuck to my shoe." He slowly reached for the knife he had tucked into his belt and noticed Sam doing the same.

Suddenly, the dark figure had Dean on his back, it's sharp fangs bared.

"Dean!" Sam shouted as he rushed the creature on top of his brother. His knife slid into the vampire, who fell on the ground. The knife was tainted with dead man's blood, a temporary poison for vampires. Dean, recovering from his attack, slid some iron chains on the vampire's wrists and locked them to a pipe in the alley.

"So," Dean started gruffly. "You're the one who's been hurting folks around here." Dean took a step closer and the vampire flinched. His dark eyes looked mad and his black, chin length hair was in disarray. He looked rough, even for a vampire.

"Hey, look Sam!" Dean called. "His sideburns are even bigger than yours!" He laughed. Sam's face showed that he was not amused.

"Get these...things...off of me!" The vampire struggled, wincing when the iron burned his skin. His voice was heavy accented.

"Dude, are you from the South?" Sam asked curiously. The vampire glanced up at their knives, his eyes widening.

"South London? I am not even British." He answered, slightly confused and offended. Dean noticed that the vampire looked almost like he was hypnotized. His eyes would drift in and out of focus and occasionally would look to an empty space.

"No, like the American South." Sam supplied.

"Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama?" Dean added. While the brothers were momently distracted, the vampire lunged forward, grabbing Sam by the ankle. In one swift move, Dean sliced through the vampire's pale neck; Successfully decapitating him. The hand that gripped Sam's leg fell to the floor. They both looked down at the corpse before Sam finally spoke.

"I think he was possessed. Did you see his eyes? And how confused he was?" Sam asked as he started to ruffle through the guy's pockets for an ID.

"Yeah. Well, now he's out of his misery and can't hurt anyone." Dean said finally. Sam gave him a dark look before he pulled out the vampire's wallet and opened it.

"His name is… William T. Compton… Hey, look! He's from Louisiana!" Sam said triumphantly. "And...Oh." Sam's voice dropped off and he pulled out a photograph. In it was the vampire they just killed sitting next to a young blonde woman, who was smiling widely at the camera. William T. Compton's arm was around the human woman as he looked at her, ignoring the camera.

"What?" Sam handed over the photo to Dean in response. He looked at the photo and whistled. "Well, she's pretty. Wonder who she is." Sam took the photo back and turned it around. On the back, "Sookie and I at Fangtasia" was written in elegant script.

"Sookie." What if this Sookie was the guy's wife? Sam thought with a twinge of regret. He reached down and grabbed the vampire's cellphone.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked as he watched Sam look through the phone.

Sam looked up sharply. "Dean, what if she's his wife?" Dean still looked confused, so Sam continued. "Well, wouldn't you want to know if your family died?"

Dean frowned. "Well, what are you going to say? Hey, you don't know who we are, but your husband is dead. Oh, and it was us who killed him. Sorry." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Yeah. You're right," Sam admitted. He continued scrolling through the phone's contacts.

"And yeah, Sookie is a weird name but there's got to be more than one in the world. And how do we even know she's still in Louisiana? Or if she was here in England? It's just not worth it."

"Here," Sam thrust the phone in front of his brother's face and smiled triumphantly. The screen showed a photo of the same blonde girl. "Sookie Stackhouse," Sam read out loud.

"Fine, you found her. But is it really smart to call and tell her?"

'Wouldn't you want to know Dean?" Sam asked. "And we don't have to tell her that we killed him. We could just say that we're the police."

Dean sighed again. "There's nothing I can say to convince you to not do this, is there?"

Sam was already pressing the call button as he put the phone up to his ear. It ran three times before a child answered.

"Hi!"

"Hello, is your mom home?' Sam asked, glancing at Dean for help. Dean just shook his head in frustration.

"Momma!" The little girl yelled. Several screeches could be heard on the other line as well as some rustling sounds. Finally, a woman with a thick Louisiana accent answered.

"Sookie Stackhouse speakin'."

"Hello, Ms. Stackhouse. This is detective Rose from the London police department. Do you know a William T. Compton?"

"Uh, can you hold on one second?" She asked apologetically. Before Sam could respond, he heard her yell on the other end. "Sam! Get Jillian and Neal and take 'em outside please! I've got an important call." The childish screams on the line faded until it was quiet. "Sorry about that," She said into the phone. "Yeah, I know Bill."

"We regret to inform you that Mr. Compton was killed last night."

"Oh," Sookie gasped. Her eyes started tearing up as she choked out the next question. "How?"

"Well, Ma'am, it looks like he was…" Sam paused, searching for the right word. "In the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Oh, well, thank you. For tellin' me." She cried before hanging up the phone.

Sam looked at the vampire's cell phone for a minute until Dean spoke.

"He would have killed more people." It was like Dean had read his brother's mind. "We did what we had to. It's the job."

"Well, sometimes, our job sucks." Sam grumbled.


	19. Mischief Mismanaged

William W. Prang was dreading Christmas break. He unsuccessfully tried bargaining with his family for him to stay at Hogwarts, but even McGonagall nipped that in the bud. So here he was, in the Gryffindor common room, studying for his last exam. He rubbed at the dark circles that had permanently come to reside under his eyes as he reread the same line again and again. William already had a hard time in Herbology, and listening to Desmond Woodsvine was not helping.

"What is that?!" The Prefect yelped, pointing to Layla Snow. She looked up from her homework in surprise at stared at the tall blond.

She glanced down at her hand. "Nothin'...Just a bic ink pen…" and the room seemed to have taken a deep breath. How was the poor, Muggle-born, first-year supposed to know that ink pens had a habit of driving Desmond Woodsvine batty?

"What do I keep tellin' you guys? Ink and quill, ink and quill! How is this hard to undahstand?" William rolled his eyes from across the room. He would normally love to make Desmond twitch with muggle technology, but it held no appeal right now. Maybe later William would torture him with Monopoly and Pringles.

He closed his Herbology book and ran upstairs to his dormitory. The act seemed to exhaust him further as he sat on his bed, looking around the room. The five beds there were vastly different from each other; as different as the ones who inhabited them. Fletcher had switched with Desmond to have the bed farthest from William and he almost missed Fletcher's snoring. He had taken down the Chudley Cannons poster that William gave him last Christmas, and it hurt more than William wanted to admit.

**The Quidditch Field**

"Welcome everyone," Adalena Ajkeel called from the top of the viewing tower. "To the third Quidditch match of the year! Gryffindor plays off against Slytherin!" The cheering of the crowd rang through the arena, and the two Winchester brothers found themselves yelling as well.

"Last game before the break, let's make it a good one!" Gryffin Hamal stood in the middle of the snowy stadium, his blood red robes flipping in the frigid wind. He bent down and opened the box to release the two Bludgers and the Snitch, which flew around the circle of their own accord. The Snitch became invisible almost instantly. The players mounted their brooms and hovered in the air. Gryffin threw the Quaffle high in the air to signal the start of the game.

"And Slytherin House's Phillip Telles has the Quaffle and is heading towards Gryffindor's goal-and it's STOLEN! By Tim Shouler-who by the way, is rumored to have snogged-"

"ADALENA! Your job is commentary on the game, not the players!" McGonagall scolded. She sighed, clearing her head of memories of Lee Jorden. Dean cheered as Siobhan Hesse used her bat to protect John Louex from a Bludger.

"Right, Headmistress, well now, that was a great block by Fletcher, who is arguable the best player on the Gryffindor team, maybe the best Keeper of the century." McGonagall glared at Adalena, who quickly moved forward in her commentary. Cheers erupted from half of the stands as the Quaffle soared through the air into the goal.

"GOAL! Slytherin leads 10-0, with the point scored by Phillip Telles, aided by Vincent Cruz and Siobhan Hesse! Wow, those two. I wonder if they're finally dating yet, we all know it's bound to happen- Yeah yeah, I know, stick to the game."

Siobhan Hesse pulled up to Vincent Cruz. They grabbed hands and shook, smiling widely. "Dopple-Fense on Nott?" She proposed. He nodded sharply and flew behind Siobhan as she curved her broom. Both Beaters hit a Bludger towards Jean Nott, who was too late to move out of the way and was hit in the leg. Her broom spiraled down and she pulled up just in time to not hit the snow.

"And THAT, folks, was the Dopplebeater Defense pulled off flawlessly by Hesse and Cruz. Jean Nott seemed to have been hit in the leg, but is still playing. What a true Gryffindor if I'd ever saw one!" Adalena announced as the crowd watched the game attentively.

Back in the bleachers, Sam looked up and saw Katherine making her way over to them. "Hey," She greeted as she sat down next to Dean. "Who's ahead?"

"Slytherin- 10 to 0." Sam answered glumly. He was definitely rooting for Gryffindor, although he had to admit-He wouldn't want to play against Siobhan and Vincent.

"Care for a bet?" Katherine asked, brushing a very long strand of black hair behind her ear. Today, she had an almost elf-like appearance with slightly pointed ears and a sharp, upturned nose. She was wearing a scarf in Slytherin's colors.

"You can't see the outcome or anything, right?" Dean asked suspiciously.

Katherine laughed, her face aglow with excitement. "No, not in the slightest."

Sam and Dean considered this for a moment before Sam nodded. "My money's on Gryffindor."

"How much do you want to bet?"

"Uh…" Dean still didn't have a grasp on Wizarding money, and Sam wasn't much better. "I don't really...get the whole Wizard money…"

"Oh, that's okay." Katherine answered reassuringly. "A Galleon, the gold one, is about eight American dollars, if I remember right." She looked over to see Jeremy Gaunt and Eledora Zelwand, two Gryffindor Beaters, protect a Chaser from an incoming Bludger, sending it flying across the field.

"Ten Galleons on Gryffindor for me then." Sam said confidently as he pulled the flaps of his hat down over his ears. His teeth chattered as the wind seemed to nip at his face.

"Ten on Slytherin," Dean bet. He watched Siobhan and Vincent fly around the arena, successfully beating the Bludgers off their player's backs.

"Slytherin for me too. That Rose Abbot is a bloody good Keeper."

"Deal." They all agreed as they turned back to the game. Carina Nott, a Chaser for Gryffindor, flew over to a blonde Slytherin Chaser and elbowed her sharply in the ribs. The Slytherin unsuccessfully tried to block the hit, prompting Carina Nott to take hold of the Chaser's broom and flip it. Gasps were heard through the crowd, before the crowd separated into Slytherin supporters and Gryffindor fans, both sides yelling at each other.

"ALEXANDRIA TAURUS, I hope she doesn't curse me for using her full name, IS SPINNING OUT! Man, Carina Nott is brave for attacking Taurus like that! I remember once when Taurus hexed another Slytherin for bullying a first year. He's still got a purplish hue to his teeth. And Professor Hamal is calling a foul on two accounts of cobbing and blagging! Oh Gryffindor's going to pay for that," Adalena complained, now out of breath.

"Taurus scored two shots on the fouls, putting the current score at 30-0, Slytherin. Terry MacCormack is active now, maybe he caught sight of the Snitch! Come on, MacCormack, Gryffindor needs you!"

A dark-haired Seeker clad in red and gold flew fast over the audience in search of the desired Snitch, quickly followed by the Slytherin Seeker, Nate Nox. Meanwhile, Carina and Jean Nott (two identical twins in Gryffindor) tossed the Quaffle back and forth as they flew closer to the Slytherin's goal post.

"GOAL! Gryffindor Chaser Jean Nott scored, aided by her twin Carina Nott; the score is 30-10," Half the audience cheered loudly. "Slytherin's still leading." Adalina muttered.

Rose Abbot, the Slytherin Keeper, blocked another attempt to score by the twins. A cheer erupted from the crowd and a song could be heard from green-cloaked spectators.

"Rosie, Rosie Abbot; She'll block your play. Rosie, Rosie Abbot says you can try another day!"

Once again, the two Seekers became active, zooming through the arena. MacCormack leaned forward on his broom and reached his hand out, prompting Nox to do the same. Nox, though, had a better broom and was just several inches closer to the desired Snitch. In just a moment, the Snitch was caught, the game over.

"SLYTHERIN WINS THE GAME! Sorry Gryffindor, can't win them all." The Slytherins in the crowd stood up and started rejoicing for their win.

Sam Winchester looked over to Dean and Katherine, both of which were clapping and smiling. He sighed and pulled out several coins, depositing them in his brother's and Katherine's respective hands.

**December 22nd-**

It was the day before most of the students were to leave for the break, and Hogwarts was in chaos. Robes and books were soaring through the air, searching for their owner's trunks; Students were panicky and frustrated when they couldn't find their treasures. All of this was worse in the Gryffindor Tower.

A loud bang could be heard coming from the sixth year dormitories as Desmond Woodsvine climbed down the stairs holding a package with a string dangling from it. His face was streaked with soot, his eyes bright and angry as they combed through the common room for the perpetrator. Suppressed laughs were heard through the room, only irritating Desmond further. Finally, his eyes came to rest on the extremely thin sixth year sitting in a large armchair. William's bony hands were holding a book in front of his face and it was doing a mediocre job of covering up his wolfish grin. The Peace Disturber firework, courtesy of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, had worked it's magic by the look of Desmond's face.

"You insuffahable," Desmond sputtered as he took a step towards William, whose face instantly went slack. The crowd silenced and those in Desmond's way took a step back. The anger was radiating from him. "Little tossah."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," William's stony face was fooling no one. His pranks against Desmond were legendary and cost the Gryffindors a fair share of house points. The only one who lost more points than William was Terry MacCormack, who had a nasty habit of sneaking in alcohol.

Apparently, this prank was the last straw for Desmond as he drew his wand from his robes and raised it threateningly. William's hand quickly reached for his own wand in defense. Neither noticed Fletcher moving closer to the pair.

"Levicorpus!" Desmond yelled as he flicked his wand towards William.

"Protego." The levitation jinx bounced off William's shielding charm and hit one of the third years in the audience. The third year was raised in the air by his ankle, much to the amusement of his friends. "Liberacorpus," William replied, lowering the student back to the ground.

"Impedimenta!" Both William and Desmond froze, a result of the immobilizing spell. Fletcher's wand was still pointed at the two sixth years. He turned slightly to Desmond and unfroze him. "I put the firework in your bag, not William." He then unfroze his former friend, whose eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Oh," Desmond seemed to be at a loss. "I, uh, am sorry, I guess."

"Whatever," William shrugged, more interested in Fletcher than Desmond's apologies. The crowd near them had dispersed and was now around Terry MacCormack, who was selling Firewhiskey to anyone older than fifteen. Somehow, he was able to drink heavily and not only make it to Quidditch practices, but often lead them.

"Dorms. Now." Fletcher grabbed William's arm and dragged him up the stairs to the room. William was so weak and tired that he couldn't fight off Fletcher, even if he wanted to.

Fletcher closed the door and muttered a silencing charm over the room. "I covered for you," He said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now you owe me. So spill."

William sat on his bed, unable to meet Fletcher's accusing stare. Playing dumb seemed to be his best option. "Spill what?"

"Oh, I don't know," Fletcher said sarcastically as he strode through the room and sat on the bed across from William. "How about whatever's causing you to be an ass lately. Or why you're not eating or sleeping. Yeah, don't think I didn't notice that." He added when he noticed William flinch slightly.

William thought back to the TAVR letter; The one that clearly stated that something bad could happen to anyone who knew of what they were doing. "I can't tell you."

"You can't tell me?" Fletcher asked incredulously. "After all we've been through? We were so close once that we both got that Black Cat flu." Both chuckled at the childhood memory. They were both so miserable that the staff at St. Mungo's shoved them in a room together until they got better. "Will, I'm worried."

"This...group contacted me about my sister…" William was choosing his words very carefully. "They said, with my help, they would be able to change the Ministry and McGonagall's mind and let her come to school." He reached down and opened up his trunk, retrieving the first letter he had gotten from TAVR. He gave it to Fletcher, who promptly started reading it.

Fletcher's eyes widened as he finished rereading it for the second time. "Will…" He started, unsure of how to address this. He looked at the rest of the pieces of parchment in William's hands.

"They'll help. They just want the same rights as everyone else." William's grip on the notes tightened.

"This doesn't sound...right," Fletcher searched for the right words and questions to ask. "I mean, how did they even find out about you? They mention your middle name in this one!" He grabbed one of the pages from William's hands. "How many people besides your family and I know your middle name?"

He hadn't thought of that. "It's probably public record, right? Available at the Ministry?" William shifted uncomfortably on his bed.

"Will, I don't think you should write these people back anymore." Fletcher said as softly as he could.

"Okay, Fletch. I won't," He lied as he lifted the Muffliato charm.

Fletcher's eyebrows drew together, concerned at the lack of fight.

"I promise." William added. "Friends?"

Fletcher nodded, then smiled. "Friends."

By the time that Desmond entered the dorm (half carrying a very tipsy Terry) he saw that all his possessions were moved back to the bed furthest from William's. His mouth upturned slightly, glad that he didn't have to hear William talking about some Vampire group in his sleep.

**December 23rd-**

The prospect of seeing his family didn't seem so difficult with Fletcher talking to him again. The train ride back wasn't so bad either, although Adalena Ajkeel did insist on sitting in their compartment. Even that wasn't as awful as William thought it would be. She calmed down a lot when she was around Fletcher and was almost enjoyable. At least she knew her sports. William mentally concluded that it had been worth it to share some of his secret with his best friend.

**Back At Hogwarts**

Siobhan Hesse took a large bite of toast before answering.

"It'll be dangerous." She warned, glancing around the practically empty Great Hall. "We'd be unregistered." Vincent Cruz smiled, his eyes shining with excitement.

"And?"

"Let's do it." She agreed, her smile mirroring Vincent's. He reached in his bag and produced a brightly wrapped present.

"Your Christmas present, m'dear." He set the rectangular gift ceremoniously next them on the table. Siobhan raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"I thought we agreed, no presents this year." She glanced pointedly at the gift.

"Eh," He shrugged. "I lied." Siobhan laughed, and presented a card to him.

"No presents, huh?" Vincent asked as she leaned forward.

"I lied," She whispered, much to Vincent's delight. He broke first, grabbing the card from the table. In it was a receipt for the newest racing broom type from Flyte and Barker, the price blackened out.

"How did you-This broom isn't even out yet!" Vincent gushed.

"I've got my ways. Besides, your broom sucks." She joked. She bite her lip, glad he was so excited about the gift she spent over a year saving up for. "It's up in the dorms."

"Well then, I'm glad I got you something other than just that." He pushed the large gift in front of her. She ripped off the paper and gasped. It was a book titled The Unregistered Animagus In You-A Guide To Unlocking Your Potential.

"This is from the restricted section," She waved her hand over the book.

"I know," Vincent said, unable to contain his smile. "I stole it for you." He picked up a green apple and took a large bite.

"You stole this for me?" She asked. She felt her eyes tear up a little. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me." She opened up the cover of the book and began glimpsing through it.

"You haven't even seen the other present yet!" Vincent said in mock-upset. He fished around in the pocket of his robes until he came across a small box. He handed it to her, suddenly nervous that she wouldn't like it.

"Oh," She gasped softly, picking up the piece of jewelry. She looked at the locket closely, running her fingers over the ornate design.

"Open it."

On one side of the locket was a picture of her and Vincent, his arm around her shoulders. They were both covered in snow, smiling broadly before Vincent smashed a snowball on Siobhan's head before running off. The picture stopped with Siobhan laughing and chasing Vincent with a snowball. It was Vincent's favorite picture of them together. The other side looked like the sky, snowflakes whirling around.

"It shows the weather outside wherever you are. Do you like it?" Siobhan was already wearing the necklace when she wrapped her arms around him. Vincent smiled, hugging her tighter. She broke the hug first.

"Let's go get into trouble." Siobhan grinned mischievously.


	20. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Present...

**December 23rd-Hogwarts Castle**

"This band Katherine suggested, the Owl Posts, is actually pretty good. They've got a Led Zeppelin-Metallica feel. But, ya know, all wizard-like." Dean told his brother Sam as they walked through the corridor to Castiel's classroom.

"I kinda liked the Remembralls," Sam added as they turned the corner.

"Ugh, you would." Dean spat. A group of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs passed by them, snickering. The group of girls whispered to each other before looking at the two Professors, and giggling again. One girl had what looked like a book, but Sam couldn't be sure because the Hufflepuff was going to great lengths to hide the object in her cloak.

The group hurried off in another direction, leaving the two brothers in a state of confusion. Dean stopped, glancing down as he ran his hands over his robes, looking for the reason behind the student's laughter. Sam was looking at his shoes. A couple weeks ago, the head of Slytherin house, Angela O'Cassidy, had put a sticking charm on the bottom of their shoes. It was nearly impossible to get the toilet paper off, and finally they had to ask another teacher to remove the spell.

"Is there something on my back?" Dean wondered, the anxiety obvious in his voice.

Sam looked over his brother carefully. "No, you're good. Is there something on me?" He turned in a circle.

"Nothing. But that was a nice little pueriette." Dean joked, shaking his head. They started again towards the Muggle studies classroom, still perturbed over the encounter with the students.

"And did you see what that one girl put in her robes?" Sam asked, walking ahead of Dean into the classroom. Castiel was sitting at his desk, reading an assignment.

"Yeah, it looked like a book. Hey Cas," Dean called from the classroom door. "Is there anything odd or different about us?"

Castiel rose from his seat and walked close to Sam, examining him carefully. He then moved over to Dean, inspecting him the same way, as if they had suddenly sprouted horns.

"No," He answered carefully, as if it was a trick question.

Dean sighed. "Well, something's wrong. Kids keep walking past us and laughing at us. At me! And don't say I'm paranoid, Sam." He threatened.

"And they're hiding things!" Sam added, looking at Castiel. "Like they're afraid we're going to see it."

Dean turned to his little brother. "You didn't pose semi-nude for a calendar in your Stanford years, did you? Like for a charity or something?" Sam was in the process of rolling his eyes when the angel spoke.

"Uh...I think that's me." Both hunter's heads whipped around to stare at Castiel.

"You posed nude for a calendar?" Dean gasped, his eyes wide with shock. Castiel gave him a pissy look, clearly saying that that was not the case. He then adverted his gaze to the ground, avoiding their eyes. "What'd you do, Cas?" Dean demanded in a flat voice.

"Well...I was trying to get the students interested in reading, like the Muggle children do. Since this is Muggle Studies, I thought they would enjoy reading the Supernatural books."

Sam and Dean stared at Castiel, their eyes burning with fury and betrayal.

"Why would you do that?" Sam pleaded. Castiel looked uncomfortable as Dean started wandering around the large room, shaking his head.

"Well, I thought it would help them in all of our subjects…"

Dean ran a hand through his hair. "So they're reading the books." He interrupted.

"Yes," Castiel answered. "And the T.V show…" His voice trailed off.

"What?!" Both brothers exclaimed.

"Several of the Muggleborns knew what a television was and naturally the others became curious…" He said matter-of-factly. Dean stopped pacing and stared at his best friend. Sam had closed his eyes and rubbed the side of his neck.

"Cas, how are we supposed to teach these kids if they've read the books?" Dean complained, his voice dripping with despair. Castiel looked taken aback by his question.

"And seen the show," Sam added.

"I feel violated," Dean sighed. "I need a drink." He walked over to Castiel's desk and pulled out a bottle of Firewhiskey he had stashed there earlier in the year. Gryffin had enchanted their desks so the kids couldn't get into their liquor stash, and Dean found himself mentally thanking his friend as well as magic in general.

"But the Muggle-borns seem to be enjoying it." Castiel tried. "I overheard them talking about going to conventions. Isn't that a good thing?" Sam groaned in response.

Dean, still drinking in the corner, closed his eyes and shook his head. "I can't even look at you, man."

Sam marched over to his brother and grabbed the bottle from his hands. Dean looked up in outrage as Sam took a large swig of the dark liquid.

Sam took a deep breath, before looking over at Castiel. "I think we need to talk to McGonagall."

Dean's eyes lit up in excitement. "Ooh, Filch! Flich can ban the books! Nothing would have him happier than to ruin everyone's good time."

"Why would you ban something the children love so much?" Castiel puzzled. Dean turned his head slightly to glare at him.

"Wait," Sam interjected. "How are they watching the T.V show? There's a spell on electronics." He thought of his beloved laptop and iPod, stowed safely in his trunk at the foot of his bed, no doubt collecting dust from the lack of use.

Castiel tilted his head, looking like a kicked puppy. "I rented a room at the Three Broomsticks and had a television put in. We've been taking class trips and watching it on the Netflix."

"I told you, Cas, step away from the Netflix." Dean huffed.

**December 25th- Slytherin Common Room**

**6:32 A.M**

Siobhan Hesse woke up early on Christmas morning. Usually, she wouldn't have even considered waking up before ten-thirty, but Alexandria Taurus had other plans.

"Wake up!" Siobhan's only roommate for the next few weeks hissed as she started hitting her in the head with a pillow.

Siobhan yawned and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Merlin's beard, Lex. Haven't you ever heard of sleep, or is it just an abstract concept to you?" The look on Lex's face told Siobhan that there was no possible way of going back to sleep. She got out of bed and stretched before getting dressed and going into the bathroom to wash her face. As she was brushing her teeth, Lex poked her head into the room. Lex's dark blonde hair was perfectly straight and brushed, no sign of sleepiness visible in her features. Siobhan rinsed her mouth out with water and stared at her roommate.

"Who can sleep when there's presents?!" Lex grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the bathroom and through their dorm.

"Anyone with their sanity." Siobhan muttered as she climbed up the stairs to the common room.

To non-Slytherins, the common room looked like a dungeon. It was dank and depressing with mildew crawling up the dilapidated bookcases and water dripping from the ceiling. To Slytherins and their invited guests, the common room was luxurious. The plush armchairs were covered in the softest emerald green velvet and tapestries hung proudly on their walls, depicting brilliant images such as mermaids and serpents that twirled and crawled on the fabric. In the corner stood a pure silver water fountain with the clearest cool water one could find. A chandelier gave the "dungeon" a nice light to the exquisite room that seemed to glimmer and gleam from every corner.

Today, the room had green streamers hanging from the chandelier and several plates of fresh cookies on the tables. There were five groupings of presents, one for each student who stayed over the holidays.

"Be right back, Lex. Imma go wake up Vincent." Siobhan called over her shoulder and she went down into the boy's dormitories.

"WAKEY WAKEY VIN!" She sang as she hopped on Vincent's bed. He pulled the covers up over his head and groaned.

"What time is it, Siah?" Is what Vincent tried to say. What came out sounded more like, "Wa-tomzit-Sheya."

"6:41 in the mornin'."

He removed the covers from his head and sat up, staring at his best friend with wide eyes. "Why are you up?" He gasped with concern.

"Lex woke me up, so I'm waking you." Siobhan said without remorse.

Vincent took a deep breath and flopped back down on his bed dramatically, closing his eyes. "You're lucky I love you."

Siobhan smiled widely. "I know," She boasted, sitting cross-legged on the end of his bed. Vincent opened his eyes and sat up again, looking much more awake this time. He raised his hand to her neck, gently touching the delicate chain and pendant he gave her. "I'm guessing you like it." Nodding to the necklace.

"I love it and…" Her voice trailed off as she opened the locket to show him. The side opposite the picture was a dark grey color with snow flying around. "It's quite ugly out, which means...?" She smiled mischievously and raised her eyebrows.

"You wanna practice some stuff out of the Animagus book." Vincent finished, the left side of his face curling into a smirk.

"But that would be illegal," She said, her voice faux-indignant, placing her hand on her chest. Vincent raised one of his eyebrows, prompting her to laugh. She got off the bed and started walking out of the room. "I'll meet you upstairs."

Ten minutes later, Vincent walked into the common room, still wondering why he was even up at this hour. One look at Siobhan's bright and happy face melted away most of his exhaustion and replaced it with excitement. It was hard to be upset around her.

"These," Siobhan pushed a pile of brightly wrapped gifts. "Are yours." She was sitting on the ground with her back resting against her favorite cozy chair.

Vincent grabbed two warm chocolate-chip cookies off a table, shoved one in his mouth, and made his way to where she sat with the presents. He handed one cookie off to his best friend and looked down at the mountain of boxes, unsure of what to open first. Finally, he chose a small parcel covered in bright green paper.

"Ooh, what is it?" Siobhan asked as she picked up one of her boxes and shook it.

Vincent held up a box of Chocolate Frogs. "From Professor McGonagall." He pried open the carton to get to the card. "Luna Lovegood." He read, showing the card to Siobhan.

"Cool. I've got," She started as she opened a large, red box. "A Weasley sweater!" It was dark green with a silver "S" on the front. She slipped it on over her shirt and put her hands on her hips. "Whadda think?"

"Beautiful, as always." Vincent replied, looking for another gift to open.

Siobhan picked up a letter that fell from the sweater and quickly read it. "Mrs. Weasley invited me back for the summer. Says she's already got my room setup," Siobhan laughed.

"You goin'?" Vincent's mouth was full of cookies as he looked over her letter.

"Probably." She started ripping the paper off another present. "Better than the alternative." She pointed out quietly.

Vincent stopped and glanced at Siobhan, who was deliberately looking down at her Chocolate Frog from Professor McGonagall. He could see her eyes, now glassy with tears, and moved closer to her. He put his arm around her shoulders as she lay her head by his neck.

"I'm sorry, Siah," He tried to comfort her. Vincent was glad that Lex had already left the dungeons, leaving them alone. "Maybe this year I could convince my parents to let you stay."

"Your parents hate me," Siobhan reminded him. Vincent shook his head in denial.

"It's only because they've never actually met you." He said softly, trying to ignore the anger rising in him.

"No," She disagreed. "It's because I'm Muggleborn." Siobhan looked him in the eyes. "And you know it."

"I just don't know why it matters so much. It's not like we're Purebloods." He sighed.

"But it's more than a Muggleborn." She smiled faintly, sitting up more. "It's okay." She wiped a rogue tear off her cheek. "I'll stay with the Weasley's. George is always needing new ideas for the shop." Vincent gave her a look. "Plus," She continued as she turned to face him. "I'm already a ginger, so I blend in even more. Now, open this one," Siobhan handed an ill-wrapped gift to Vincent before grabbing a very similar one out of her own pile.

He tore off the paper to reveal half of a table-top Quidditch set. Siobhan had the other matching set that allowed the two players to play over great distances. He picked up the tiny broom, which rose out of the small trunk and started zooming around his hand.

"It's from Winky!" Siobhan laughed. "I love that elf." They continued opening the gifts, which included a box of fudge for each of them from Mr. Weasley and a bunch of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes joke prototypes that Siobhan had to promptly hide. Vincent got a pair of holey socks from his parents, who were still upset that he continued to be friends with Siobhan.

"So," Siobhan started once they were finished with their presents. "Wanna go down for breakfast?"

Vincent nodded sharply. "You had me at food."

**9:19 A.M.- The Great Hall**

Christmas at Hogwarts was absolutely beautiful. Huge trees, most of them at least 8 feet tall, took up residence in the Great Hall. It was gently snowing inside, with the snow melting before it could touch the food. There was only one table for the students since less than twenty people stayed over the Holidays. It was covered in every type of breakfast food one could dream of, from traditional eggs and meat to puddings and fruits.

Siobhan and Vincent sat at the end of the table, furthest from the rest of the students and teachers, talking about what they were going to do after breakfast.

"Wonder what my patronus is." Siobhan mused as she ate a spoonful of bread pudding.

"Patron-what-us?" Vincent asked, his mouth full of bacon. Siobhan sighed loudly.

"Did you even read the book before you gave it to me?"

"Nah," He answered nonchalantly, eyeing the plate of fried eggs.

"Why are I not surprised?" She asked no one in particular. "A patronus is whatever animal or shape your patronus charm takes. And that will be our animagus," She explained to him. "Eventually."

"Eventually?" Vincent asked loudly, causing two students turned to look at them. Siobhan's eyes grew wide and she made a shush-ing sound at Vincent, who quickly apologized.

Siobhan lowered her voice as she continued. "It's very advanced magic and apparently, most wizards can't produce one. The book said that it's a projection of happiness, which can be used to ward off Dementors. So we'll have to master the charm before we try to become a Animagus."

"Wow, did you read the whole book last night?" Vincent honestly wouldn't be surprised at that. There were a couple times when Siobhan couldn't sleep, so they would sit out in the common room together. Usually, she would just read her favorite books to him; Other times she would read silently while Vincent tried (and failed) to not fall asleep.

"Just the first chapter. I wanted to have some sleep so I could concentrate today."

"Good idea." Vincent praised as they finished eating. "So how do you want to do this?"

Siobhan got up from the table, Vincent following. "We can use that old room you found. I'll go get the book, you get the room. Meet there in twenty minutes?" She suggested.

"Sure. Be careful." He added as they left the Great Hall.

"You too, Vin. Don't get caught." She warned as they turned and went their separate ways.

**The Slytherin Common Room**

Siobhan looked around the dorm room, making sure that it was completely empty. Once satisfied, she walked over to the front of her bed and got down on her stomach. She carefully reached under her bed and retrieved the book from the secret compartment in the bed frame that Siobhan had made in their second year. She shoved the book into her bag and swung it over her shoulder before leaving.

Siobhan was making her way towards the Room of Requirement when she, quite literally, ran into the two Defense Against The Dark Arts Professors. Making sure the book was safely hidden in her bag, she tried to appear as casual and innocent as possible.

"Oh, Professors! Uh, Happy Christmas!" She greeted them brightly.

"Happy Christmas to you, Siobhan." Sam cheered, full of the "Christmas Spirit".

"Merry Christmas," Dean nodded. "I didn't know you were staying over the Holidays."

"Yeah, Vincent Cruz and I stay every year."

"Don't you guys miss your family?" Dean asked abruptly. Sam elbowed him sharply in the ribs and Dean's face flushed red. "Oh, uh, I'm sorry if-you-um" Dean stuttered, realizing his mistake.

"It's okay. I'm a Muggleborn and my family kinda...dropped me off here when they found out I was a witch. They were really religious so I'm not really welcome there anymore." Siobhan looked down at her feet so she didn't have to look the two Professors in the eyes.

"Oh. I'm sorry I-"

"We didn't know." Sam cut off his brother. "Is there anything we can do?"

Siobhan shrugged. "The Holidays aren't too bad. Like I said, Vincent stays here with me so I don't die of boredom," She joked. "And I spend the summer with the Weasley family. They're really nice and treat me like one of their own. Mrs. Weasley knit me this sweater for Christmas."

"Are there...others? Who don't...see their family much?" Sam asked as gently as he could.

"A couple." She answered, nodding slightly, thinking of Terry MacCormack from the Gryffindor house. "There are a couple of Wizarding families that we can bounce around and stay with. I know Neville Longbottom and his wife Luna Lovegood take in at least one child a year. I stayed with them my first year before I went to the Weasley's. Now I've been going back ever since." She explained.

"Well," Sam started. "If there's anything we can do…"

"Thank you." Siobhan tucked a curly strand of red hair behind her ear. "It's not as bad as it seems, though."

"Family doesn't abandon each other," Dean burst out. Both Siobhan and Sam looked at him in surprise. "I mean, your family isn't really family if they leave you, especially for something you can't control. Now, I don't know much about these Weasleys, but it sounds to me like they're your real family." Sam's eyes were bugging out as he mentally pled with his brother to stop talking.

"Dean," He chastised.

"No, it's okay," Siobhan said to Sam. She turned to Dean. "You're, uh. You're right. They're more of a family than I've ever had." She smiled and ducked her head before continuing down the corridor.

Siobhan finally reached the seventh-floor corridor and cautiously entered the Room of Requirement.

"Vin?" She called, not seeing anyone. She drew her wand and whispered, "Lumos". A beam of light came from the end of her wand and Siobhan continued. "Vincent?" She walked further into the room, still looking for her partner in crime. She whipped around sharply, having seen something move out of the corner of her eye. Upon further inspection, she saw that it was only a large mirror. Curious, she moved closer and centered herself in the mirror.

In the mirror, she saw Vincent standing right behind her, smiling. "There you are you prat-" As she turned, she saw that there was nothing but empty space behind her. She spun around to the mirror and was shocked to see that Vincent was still in the reflection. The reflections of them were both slightly different though. The mirror versions of them were older, if only by a few years. Siobhan's eyes drifted and she saw that they both had silver bands on their left ring fingers.

Mirror-Vincent was smiling even larger now, and Siobhan found it hard to stay straight-faced as he put his arms around her and kissed her cheek. Her hand flew to where he kissed her, sure that she could still feel its' ghostly presence.

"Boo!" Vincent roared as he flew out from behind a large cabinet, landing near Siobhan's feet. She raised her wand and screamed, then lightly kicked him upon realizing who it was.

"You arse!" Vincent laughed at her insult before jumping up and fixing his jacket. He glanced up at the mirror, then back down at Siobhan.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" He asked, throwing his arm around her neck while looking closely at the mirror.

"What do you see?" She asked Vincent.

Still looking at the mirror, he answered. "Well, it's a mirror, so I see you and me." He shrugged, refocusing his attention back on her. "But hey, listen, guess what?"

Siobhan rolled her eyes. "What?"

"Look at what I found!" He led her over to a large trunk and opened it. Inside was a collection of trinkets. Siobhan shook her head, obviously not seeing what Vincent was.

Vincent sighed before pulling out a small, dark toy. He set the toy down on the ground, where it quickly grew in size until it was taller than both of them. "The note down in the trunk says to say this," He showed her the note. "To activate it. But the caution says to only do it when armed and ready."

"That's a Dementor, Vin." Siobhan said as she walked around the hooded creature, frozen mid-flight. "For the Patronus! So we can practice."

Vincent grinned widely. "Wicked. You got the book?"

Siobhan nodded, reaching into her bag and producing the book. She ran her hand over the cover. "The Unregistered Animagus In You-A Guide To Unlocking Your Potential," She read outloud. "Courtesy of Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs."

"I don't know who they are, but my hat's off to them." Vincent took an imaginary hat off and dramatically bowed.

She opened the book and started quickly skimming through it. Near the end of the last chapter, she saw a page that looked different from the rest of them. She pulled a little at the parchment and it came cleanly out of the book. She looked up at Vincent, her eyes wide. "I didn't mean to-it just came out…"

"Ooh, what is it?" Vincent asked excitedly as he grabbed it from her hands. She breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't upset at her for ruining the present. "The Marauder's Map...Hey! It's by the same ones who wrote the book! It's got this stuck to it." He pulled off the note and handed it to Siobhan. In messy scrawl, the paper read, "Use it well."

"Use it well? What's that supposed to mean?" Vincent opened the parchment and turned it around in his hands, looking at it closely. "Hey! There's nothing on it!" He cried, indignant. "It's blank."

"The page it was stuck in has some writing in the margins, look," She turned the book around to show to him.

"It looks like the same handwriting from the note." He held the map in one hand, and his wand in the other so he could read the first note from the book. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

And with that, the ink filled in. The two troublemakers watched in awe as the map came to life, showing the entire castle, and all of those in it. The black ink wavered and there were footprints accompanying the names of those in the school.

"Is that-Terry MacCormack and...Who's Jamie Sunsticket?"

"I think she's a Hufflepuff. Sixth-year, maybe?" Siobhan mused. "Look, it's Professor McGonagall!"

He pointed his wand at the map and read the next line from the book. "Mischief Managed" and watched as the ink faded out of sight.

"Okay," Siobhan breathed. "This is definitely one of the best Christmas presents I've ever gotten." She hugged him, smiling up at Vincent and the air grew tense. Vincent kept his right arm around her back and touched her cheek with the pad of his left thumb. She closed her eyes in anticipation as Vincent bent down and gently kissed her on the lips. It was a sweet kiss, short and full of uncertainty.

Siobhan laughed softly. "Took you long enough," She whispered, not wanting to break the moment. He brushed a lock of red, curly hair from her face and grinned.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."


	21. The Point Of No Return

**December 23rd-King's Cross Station**

King's Cross Station was alive with excitement as the Hogwarts Express pulled in, it's steam filling the platform. Inside a compartment sat William W. Prang, who felt like his insides had turned to mush. Fletcher and Adalena kept trying to comfort him with jokes and treats, but the closer they got to the station, the worse he felt. He knew he shouldn't be worrying so much, but he felt guilty for not writing to his family more. The TAVR letters took up most of his time and his grades suffered tremendously-He was not looking forward to that conversation with his mother.

Despite his anxiety, the train stopped to let out the students. Families rejoiced, hugging and kissing their loved ones, eager to spend the Holidays at home. Fletcher and Adalena waited until William was ready to leave, making them some of the last ones on the platform.

"Write to me, okay, Will? Or else I'm going to show up at your house at two in the morning," Fletcher threatened as he clapped William on the shoulder before he took Adalena to meet his family. She waved goodbye before following Fletcher to his family.

William turned around and saw his family. His sister stuck out vehemently, her white dress blending into her abnormally light skin and pale blonde hair. William, however, resembled his mother: Tall with dark hair and extremely dark blue eyes. His eyes almost looked black next to his sister's pale blue ones. William noticed that his mother had the same dark circles under her eyes, just one more thing they had in common. Amelia smiled and bounced towards him, her hair practically glowing in the light. He tightly smiled, rearranging the bag on his shoulders before he picked up his sister. For an eleven year old, Amelia was quite small and graceful; Even in Williams's less than healthy state, she was easy to lift.

"What've you been up to?" William asked as he carried his sister over to where their mother stood.

"Reading," Amelia made a sour face. "Mumma says I have to." William pressed his lips together before glancing at his mom.

"Hey," William greeted cautiously, giving his mother a half hug.

"I missed you," His mother sighed. "Let's go home, shall we?" She tried to perk up and ignore the concern that bubbled up in her when she saw how terrible her son looked.

They lived in a small flat on Balfe Street, surrounded by Muggles going about their days. It took William years to figure out why they would pick up and move from their large townhouse in a Wizarding community to a cramped three-bedroom home, isolated from their own kind. He eventually came to the conclusion that it was the death of his father that ruined his mother. After his father was gone, Kendra Prang abstained from magic for the most part. Sometimes, on very good days, she would use it to cook large and intricate meals. These days, however, were few and far between.

William breathed a sigh of relief as he crossed the threshold into his room. It was the only room, in William's opinion, that didn't drip with sadness and sorrow. Instead, it was light and open with gold and red banners and Quidditch posters. William and Fletcher had loved going to Hogwarts so much that he brought home as similar decor as possible. He fell back on his bed and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. He was glad that his room still smelled like cinnamon, even when he was gone.

In less than two hours, William was unpacked and down in the kitchen. He was almost finished making dinner (chicken and shrimp gumbo for dinner with beignets for dessert) when he saw his mother standing in the doorway, watching him.

"I should be cooking," She pointed out lethargically. She nodded towards William, who was starting the oil for the beignets. "It's your first night back."

"It's no big deal, I don't mind." And he meant it. William was actually very skilled at cooking and enjoyed it. His meals were edible whereas his mother's was not. "Go get Lia? It'll be ready in a couple minutes."

Amelia came bouncing in the kitchen with her snake wrapped around her arm.

"Morfy, stop it," She whispered in an attempt to hide him from her mother. It did not work.

"Your snake does not belong at the table, Amelia." Kendra reminded her daughter, who stuck out her lower lip in a well constructed pout. The snake hissed loudly and looked poised to strike at the mother as Amelia walked by to her bedroom.

Kendra Prang turned to William, who appeared to be just as irritated as she felt. "I should have never gotten her that snake." She started washing her hands and dried them on a kitchen towel.

"I don't like it either. Maybe we should try to give it away?" William suggested. He didn't want to upset his sister, but he really hated that snake. It made William uneasy, as if it was plotting his death somehow.

"I tried," His mother rolled her eyes. "I didn't want to but it bit me and drew blood. Amelia threw a fit." She started getting out the dishes for dinner. Then she stopped and put both hands on the counter. "This is going to make me sound crazy. But," She lower her head, shaking it. "I swear, I heard it speaking one day. Actually speaking English!" William gave her a doubtful look. "Not to her, just in an empty room. And don't give me that look, William Walsh Prang."

He sighed and bit the side of his lip. Luckily, Amelia entered in the room-sans Morphin. William and his mother silently set the table and they all sat down to eat.

**December 25th-Hogwarts Castle**

Sam and Dean Winchester's encounter with Siobhan Hesse was still hanging over their heads.

"I mean, you don't abandon your family just because they're different." Dean insisted gruffly, shoving his hands in his leather jacket. McGonagall told the two brothers that they could wear their normal clothes while on break, and Dean was immensely pleased. He had missed his old jacket, even the shoddy sewing job Dean made on the lining of the jacket to make room for more ammo and fake ID cards. It was like a piece of him, an anchor to the "family business" he had spent so much of his life committed to. "Who cares that she's different?"

"You never know what's going to set people off." Sam tried to placate, although he, too, was having a hard time accepting Siobhan's family problems.

"There was a time when you were seeing visions. And dating Ruby," Both brothers shuddered at the mention of the double-crossing demon. "And did I write you off, just leave you on someone's doorstep? No. Because we're family, dammit."

"I don't like it either, Dean, but at least she's got that other family. They send her Christmas presents and everything, so at least someone else cares." Sam reminded him as they continued down the corridor to visit Castiel.

The blond hunter sighed. "It's just not right." Dean muttered as they turned the corner and saw Castiel standing in front of his classroom door.

"I have a problem." Castiel's grave voice rang through the hall. Dean was still mildly upset about his life being turned into lesson for his students, so it was Sam that spoke first.

"What's wrong, Cas?"

The angel opened his classroom door and walked in. As if a switch was flicked, loud music could be heard through the corridor.

"Just call me angel of the morning, angel. Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby!"

Sam and Dean couldn't contain their laughter at the combination of the song choice and the angel's face. They weren't the only ones, either. Dean glanced over and saw that Professor O'Cassidy and Peeves the Ghost, were in stitches as well. Castiel scowled at the two tricksters, fighting off nostalgia for Gabriel. He stepped out of the classroom, which stopped the music, and walked past Sam and Dean.

"Hello, Angel." Professor O'Cassidy gushed, prompting another fit of laughter.

"I do not find this funny." Castiel stated.

"Well, that's too bad," She chuckled. "Because everyone else does." Dean carefully slid into the classroom to see if the music triggered. All was silent until Castiel walked through the doorway again.

"Please remove it, now." Castiel tried to sound threatening, but it's hard to sound tough with Juice Newton in the background.

Peeves and the Professor exchanged looks before both of them replied, "Nah." They left, still howling with laughter.

"I think it'll wear off," Sam tried to contain his laughter. "Eventually."

**The Prang House, Balfe Street**

"William, can I speak to you, please?" His mother asked after dinner was cleaned up and dessert was served.

The teenager sighed. He knew this would come eventually, and figured they might as well get this over and done with. William begrudgingly followed his mother out of the dining room to the small, cramped living room.

"I assume you already know what this is about?" She hinted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"My grades?" He sighed. She nodded sharply, edging for him to continue. "There's just been so much going on, and there's two new Professors for Defense Against the Dark Arts and it's been hard to catch up on homework." He finished lamely.

"McGonagall told me that you're skipping classes now," His mother put her fingers on her temple, trying to dull the headache setting in. "That's just not like you."

"I'm okay now. Fletcher and I had a fight but we're okay now. I'll bring my grades up." She looked at him with one raised eyebrow. "I promise," He added.

"Fine, but if your grades get worse…" She trailed off. William had already left the room and was climbing up the stairs to his room.

He opened up the door to see his little sister sitting very still and patient on his bed, her hands folded neatly in her lap. William's heart jerked in surprise and it was moments like this where he could tell the vampire traits his sister possessed.

"Hey, Lia." WIlliam said cautiously. The only time his sister acted like this was when she wanted something. She tilted her head slightly to the side and smiled unnervingly.

"What'd you and mum talk about?" She asked curiously, blinking her eyes in faux innocence.

William walked past her and turned the dial on the Muggle radio to his favorite station. A rock song poured out, and Amelia stuck out her bottom lip at being ignored. "My marks are dropping, mum wanted to talk to me about raising them."

"Oh," Her eyes darted around. This was obviously not the answer she was hoping for. "Nothing about me maybe coming to school?" She asked hopefully.

"No, Lia. I'm sorry." He apologised as her eyes filled with tears.

"Why are you sorry," She spat. "It's not like you've been told you can't do something because of your blood." She hopped off his bed and raced out of his room, leaving William alone with his thoughts.

He had resolved on the train back from Hogwarts that he was going to ignore any other letters from The Advancement of Vampire Rights. Fletcher pointing out the bit about his middle name had really freaked him out and he was heavily doubting the group's ideals. But giving up on TAVR felt like giving up on his sister.

"What do I do?" William asked himself as he laid down on his bed, staring out the window at the busy Muggle streets.

William stayed up most of the night listening to Muggle music and thinking about what he could do about his sister. His stomach growled loudly and he glanced over at a clock sitting on his bedside table and was startled to find that it was already past three in the morning. William sat up and quietly turned the knob down on the radio, intent on going downstairs for a snack. Now that his music was off, William could hear whisperings coming from the living room. He took out his wand and cautiously made his way down the stairs, knowing how unlikely it was that his mother would be up at this time of night. In the living room was the silhouette of a very tall man, whispering urgently into a small box.

"Yes, I know. I'm aware. No, he hasn't." The mysterious man sighed. "Yes. Yes, Sir, I will try." William shifted slightly to get a better look, and held his breath when the floorboards creaked. "Someone's here, I have to go."

William stuck his head around the corner. The living room was completely empty, not a person in sight. He frowned, and stepped further into the room to investigate.

Everything was in its correct place, not a single book out of order. William blinked rapidly, trying to figure out if he had actually seen a man in the living room or if he was just exhausted. He shook his head and turned around to go back to his room to get some sleep. What he didn't see was his sister Amelia's snake slithering out of the living room, watching him intently.

**11:59 PM**

**December 25th, The Gryffindor Common Room**

Terry MacCormack smiled at his audience, laced his fingers together, and cracked them loudly. "Welcome, everyone over the age of fifteen!" Terry gestured widely to the makeshift bar he created in the Gryffindor common room, now fully stocked with both Muggle and Wizarding liquor. "You guys know the rules. Everyone pair up, here's your glasses." The Gryffindor Quidditch player passed around glasses and cocktail shakers for everyone, making sure to wink at both Siobhan Hesse and Vincent Cruz. Terry always invited Siobhan, who always brought Vincent, to his drinking parties. It was Terry who had nicknamed them "The Children of Hogwarts", and he frequently stayed with Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood when school was out.

"Today, we'll be making a Wizarding Manhattan Cocktail." The group of students clapped loudly, and Terry waved his hands. "Settle down, children. Settle down. So, we'll be using Beetle Berry Whiskey, sweet red Vermouth, Angostura bitters, and," Terry rustled through the bottles and cans. "A maraschino cherry!" The group collectively "Oooh"'d, earning a stern look from Terry. He handed a small bottle of whiskey to each of the pairings. "Now it's going to be two parts whiskey, one part sweet Vermouth. So, gently pour about this much," He held up his glass to the group. "Into your partner's cocktail shaker on top of the ice." He watched patiently as the students took turns pouring out the amber colored liquid for their partners. A girl took a quick swig from her bottle, hoping Terry wouldn't notice. He did. "Hey, Ellen! You know the rules, no drinking until the products finished!" He chastised.

The tall, dark haired Gryffindor blushed as her partner, a slightly shorter blond Gryffindor named Dwayne, laughed. When Terry turned back around, he took a sip from the bottle, too.

"Okay, now the sweet Vermouth." He handed off another bottle and everyone experimentally poured a bit in the shakers. "And the bitters. Now just do one or two dashes, no more. Then cap it and shake." Terry watched proudly as the pairs carefully added the Angostura bitters and shook the metal mixers. "Now pour it in the glasses and add the cherries! And you've got a classic Manhattan with a slight wizarding twist." The sound of ice hitting the glasses filled the room and everyone experimentally took sips from their finished creation. Through the noise of the students appreciating the drinks, Terry heard the familiar warning bell he had set up to go off when an adult entered the common room. "SUGAR COOKIES!" He warned and the room went into chaos. Terry drew his wand and waved it, turning all the liquor in the student's glasses clear to resemble water. The students assumed positions they hoped were casual, with some awkwardly leaning on bookcases and another perched oddly on a table.

Dean Winchester walked into the Gryffindor common room and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the students. "What's going on here?" He asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Terry shrugged, his eyes wide with faux-innocence. "Just studying." He smiled widely before hitting the student next to him.

"Yeah, just studying for classes tomorrow." The student agreed, nodding his head enthusiastically. "Gotta stay smart."

Dean narrowed his eyes and glanced around the room. His eyes fell on the bar in front of Terry, the liquor labels on the cart still visible. Terry had forgotten to disguise the liquid in the bottles so rather than looking like water, it was obvious what the bottles contained. Dean strolled up to the cart (much to the mortification of the students) and picked up the bottle of Beetle Berry Whiskey. He inspected the label carefully and the students in the room held their breath, waiting for the reprimand. Dean tipped the bottle up, taking a long swig of the honey colored liquor. He nodded appreciatively before taking another drink. "Not bad."

"Dude," Terry roughly grabbed the bottle from the Professor, who looked shocked. "There are ladies present." He chastised as he expertly poured the liquor into a glass and handed it to Dean.

"Sorry." Dean muttered, sipping the drink as he plopped down into a comfy armchair.

Terry watched Dean carefully, assessing the situation, before flicking his wand and revealing the true contents of everyone's glasses. Terry pointedly drank from his own glass; A silent way of telling the other students that one of their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers could be trusted. Others followed suit, visibly relaxing.

"So, this drinking party?" Dean asked Terry, recognizing him as the leader of the group.

"More of a class." Terry casually leaned with his back on the wall next to the fireplace. "Don't worry, we're all over fifteen. I card check."

Dean nodded, satisfied. He finished his drink and stood up, setting his glass on the bar. "Don't let McGonagall catch you." He advised. "And get your homework done!" Dean called over his shoulder as he left the Gryffindor common room.

The students exchanged amused glances and Terry made a mental note to remember to invite the Professor to his next party.


	22. Metamorphosis

**The Room of Requirement**

"Okay," Siobhan Hesse said, running her fingers over the words in "The Unregistered Animagus In You-A Guide To Unlocking Your Potential," as she reread the first chapter. "It says that the charm for a Patronus is "Expecto Patronum-"

Vincent leaned against a cabinet, his arms crossed over his chest. "Sounds easy enough." He interrupted, eager to cast the spell.

"It says that the Dementor is going to try to attack you, feeding on bad memories. So, it's going to be a lot harder when it's attacking, which is kinda the point." Siobhan said absentmindedly as she skimmed the rest of the book. "You have to, and this is straight from the book, "Think of your happiest memory. Something so powerful that it projects an aura of elation that deters and prevents an attack from a Dementor. Producing a Patronus is a vital step in becoming an Animagus, for it will show you what animal or creature you could become." We have to master this if we want to become an Animagus." She shut the book with a loud thump and set it down on a table.

"Okay, okay," Vincent held up his hands in placating gesture. "I'm sorry, I'll take it seriously." He walked over to the trunk and picked up one of the small Dementor statues, placing it carefully on the floor in the wide space in front of him and Siobhan. "Who first?"

Siobhan took a deep breath and smiled. "Me." She stood directly across from the dark statue, her wand raised. "Piertotum Locomotor." The Dementor grew in size until it was floating high above her head. It opened its black cloaked mouth and everything in the room went cold. Siobhan flicked her wand, thinking of her happiest memories: The day they took the picture in the snow that now resided forever in her locket and earlier when Vincent had finally kissed her. She went a surge of warmth and called out, "Expecto Patronum!" Both students watched in awe as a silver mist erupted from the end of her wand, curling like smoke as it hit the Dementor, who froze before shrinking down to it's statue size.

"Okay, that was wicked." Vincent complimented, a smile growing over his features.

"Thanks," Siobhan said breathlessly. "The book said it's normal to only cast the silver mist stuff for a bit until you get good enough to produce a full Patronus, so I guess that was still good."

"Good?" Vincent asked indignantly. "That was bloody brilliant! Do you want to try again?"

Siobhan stood her head. "No, I think I'm going to sit for a second, let you have a go. It takes a lot out of you." She warned, walking past him to sit on a table.

Vincent took her spot in front of the statue and charmed it back to life. The Dementor increased in size until it hoovered over him, and the room grew cold once again. "Expecto Patronum," He tried, but the Dementor still soared closer, it's mouth opening in size. Vincent felt an odd pulling sensation as the creature seemed to breath him in and he tried again, but with a memory of Siobhan. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" He roared, the same silver smoke curling out of his wand to banish the Dementor. He sighed in relief as the depression lifted and the statue was immobile. Vincent looked over his shoulder and saw that Siobhan was standing up now, her hand clutching her wand, ready to cast if needed.

"Are you okay?" Her eyes were wide with worry as she watched the color return to Vincent's face.

"Yeah. You were right," Vincent told her, walking back over to the table. "Takes a lot out of you."

"Do you want to stop?" She asked, looking back at the statue. "We could be done for the day."

"I'm fine," Vincent reassured her. "I do believe it's your turn." He smiled, nodding to the dueling space. Siobhan examined him carefully. The color had returned to his face and his hazel eyes looked visibly brighter.

She quickly kissed him on the cheek and bounced back to stand in front of the Dementor statue. Her second charm was still a curling smoke, pushing her to immediately try again. The third time she cast the charm was different. A feeling of power coursed through her and a creature made entirely of the bluish-silver mist flew from her wand before circling the black cloaked entity and attacking it. Her Patronus sunk its long fangs into the Dementor, who quickly withered and shrunk back to its miniature form. The Patronus soared around the classroom proudly before fading away. Siobhan whipped her head back to look at Vincent, whose mouth was open in shock.

"Was...Was that a-?" Vincent pointed to where the Patronus evaporated before looking back at his red haired friend.

"A dragon?" Siobhan finished, nodded slowly, her mind filled with awe. "Yeah, I think it was."

Vincent ran over and hugged her, picking her up and spinning while she laughed joyfully. He kissed her on the lips before setting her down. "You did it!" He exclaimed proudly, his hands on her shoulders.

"Okay, your turn." She said excitedly, stepping back to give her partner room.

Vincent took a deep breath, closing his eyes to summon his happiest memory. His eyes flew open and he enlarged the statue. "Expecto Patronum!" He yelled. The silver smoke that snuck out of his wand was...odd. It crawled through the air, cornering the Dementor until it withdrew and hardened. The creature turned and scampered over to the air by Siobhan's shoulder, the mist nuzzling her cheek before disappearing.

Siobhan looked at Vincent questioningly. "What was that?" She asked, giggling slightly at being tickled by whatever the creature was.

"I don't know." Vincent admitted, trying to place the familiarity of the creature.

"Is it a...badger?" Siobhan wondered.

Vincent shook his head. "I don't think so. I mean, it didn't really look like a badger…"

"Try again?" Siobhan suggested, eager to figure out his Patronus.

Vincent raised his wand and repeated the charm, but only the shapeless mist escaped. "Stop," He laughed and waved his hand playfully at Siobhan, who had inched closer. "You're making me nervous." She stepped back and he tried again. The creature, which looked rodent-like in appearance with fluffy fur and a pouch on it's tummy, crawled out from his wand. It scrambled around them in the air, playfully touching Siobhan's earrings before vanishing.

"A platypus? Maybe?" Siobhan suggested, still not recognizing the creature.

"Let's go to the library." Vincent urged. "It'll probably be in there."

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry- The Library**

"AHA!" Vincent exclaimed, jabbing his finger into the book. "It's right here in," He picked up the book to look at the title. "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them."

The two students were sitting at a small table in a secluded area of the library for privacy, although most of the castle was off on holiday. A mountain of books sat between them, all of them claiming to have knowledge on every animal and creature known to man, both regular and magical. Siobhan brushed aside a strand of curly, red hair and looked over at Vincent.

"Well, what is it?" She implored. Siobhan bookmarked the page she was reading on dragons and waited impatiently for him to divulge the information.

"It's a Niffler!" Vincent beamed, turning the book around so she could see the detailed picture. It definitely looked like the Patronus that he had conjured earlier.

"Uh huh." She prompted. "So what is it?"

"Well, apparently, they like shiny things and tend to steal them. Mischievous little buggers."

"Yeah, that sounds like you." Siobhan agreed, nodding her head. "Wait," Her hands flew to the silver locket around her neck. "You didn't pay for this, did you?" Vincent looked at her sheepishly, a grin spreading over his face. She picked up a book and whopped him on the arm with it. "Bad Niffler." Siobhan chided, wagging her finger at him before giggling quietly.

"What about yours?" Vincent deflected. "Did you find out what kind of dragon that was?"

Siobhan pushed her book in front of him. "I think it's a Peruvian Vipertooth." She purred. "The most venomous dragon out there."

"Hey, so that's why the Dementor kinda...wilted. You poisoned it." Vincent nodded in approval. The picture in the book was of a graceful dragon with coppery scales and sharp fangs. The book said that it was a smallest and quickest breed of dragon, and very skilled at camouflaging itself from Muggles.

"So, you're a Niffler that likes shiny things," Siobhan mused. "And I'm a dragon, a creature known for having a hunger for treasure."

Vincent shrugged. "Well, it makes sense." He piped, closing both books and standing up. Siobhan followed suit, picking up an armful of books to put back. They deposited the books in their rightful places, still deep in thought over the new information.

Siobhan turned to Vincent after she placed the last book on its shelf. She smiled wolfishly and asked, "Ready for step two?"

Vincent mimicked her smile. "Of course, my little Vipertooth."


	23. Sympathy For The Devil

The Prang House, Balfe Street

"William!" Kendra Prang yelled from the bottom of the stairs. "An owl came for you!" She waited for a response and decided to knock on his door when she received no answer. William opened the door on the fourth knock.

"Yeah?" William asked sluggishly, rubbing his eyes.

"An owl came for you." His mother informed him before turning around to go back downstairs. "Oh, and breakfast is ready." She called over her shoulder.

"Breakfast?" William whispered to himself, mildly weirded out as to why his mother was cooking. The teenager got dressed and tromped down to the kitchen to see that his mother had made a full breakfast. There were golden heaps of eggs, a mound of crispy bacon, and pancakes taking up several plates. A pitcher of orange juice sat on the end of the table next to Amelia Prang, whose mouth was currently full of bacon. William lowered himself in a chair, suspicious.

"Here's the note from the owl." His mother handed an envelope to William, who slid it into his pants pocket. "And make sure you eat. You're a tad too thin."

William rolled his eyes and spooned some eggs onto his plate, knowing full well that he wasn't going to eat it all. Even with the TAVR matter completely closed (in Fletcher's mind), William's appetite was still lacking and his mind was still secretly preoccupied with the group's ethics. "They surely can't be that bad," He reasoned quietly. "They just want equality."

"Yeah," Amelia agreed, her mouth now stuffed with pancakes. "You look like a ghost."

"Don't talk with your mouth full." William scolded. He ate a piece of bacon to placate his mother but under the table, his fingers twitched towards the letter. He felt like a junkie looking for their next fix; Jumpy and uneasy at being caught, he ate as if poised to run. A loud thump was heard, and Amelia shot up from the table and ran to the living room. Although her brother was closer, Amelia beat him to the room. Standing in the small fireplace was Fletcher Kiliwalh, covered in a light dusting of ash.

He coughed, rubbing his mouth on his jumper's sleeve. "Will!" Fletcher craned his head to look at the dining table. "Ooh, breakfast." He walked straight into the kitchen, sat down in William's empty seat, and started eating the food off his friend's plate.

"Good morning, Fletcher." Kendra Prang greeted, her head buried in the Daily Prophet.

"Mornin', mum." He said, his mouth full. Amelia had already bounced back to her spot and resumed eating her food, but William was sluggishly lacking behind.

"Couldn't you have gotten your own bloody plate?" He asked his best friend, pulling up another chair.

"But this one was so full and all abandoned." Fletcher argued, adding more pancakes to his mountain of food. "You wouldn't want it to feel lonesome, right?"

William rolled his eyes and grabbed a piece of bacon off of his old plate. "Hurry up, Fletch. Got some things to talk to you about." He lifted his eyebrows and he stressed on the "things" hoping that Fletcher would get his point. Judging by the speed of which his friend started shoving food down his mouth, he did.

Soon, they were upstairs in William's room with the Muggle radio on so they couldn't be overheard.

"So what's so important that I couldn't even finish breakfast?" Fletcher asked, flopping down on his best friend's bed pathetically.

"This." William reached in his pocket and withdrew the envelope from TAVR. He slapped it in front of Fletcher and climbed on the bed next to him. Fletcher grabbed the letter and tore open the envelope, extracting the parchment inside.

_"Dear William Walsh Prang…" _Fletcher read before William seized the note from his hands. 

_"We at TAVR have concerns about your loyalty to our program. We have it on good authority that you have disclosed confidential information about TAVR to people we deem dangerous and untrustworthy. We would hate for Mr. Kiliwahl to get hurt because of these actions, but you should know that we at TAVR are serious about keeping the secret of this organization from the public. We hope you still want your sister to possess the same rights that you have the privilege of having and are still interested in TAVR. We think it would be a waste if someone as bright and wonderful as Amelia could not attend school because of your actions._

_We will contact you soon, giving you some time to think about this and to make the right choice._

_Sincerely,_

_The Advancements of Vampire Rights (TAVR)"_

"Woah." Fletcher gulped loudly, his eyes wide with fear. He glanced over at William, who was staring at the letter determinedly. "That's a...Not so thinly veiled threat." William was still rereading the letter, ignoring his friend entirely. "Hey!" Fletcher barked, grabbing his friend's face and pulling it to him. "What the bloody hell is this? Aren't you going to say something about the fact that they're threatening us now? Because you won't do their bidding?"

"They just want to help. I don't think it's actually a threat…" William spluttered.

"You don't _think_?" Fletcher roared, moving off the bed. "It's pretty bloody obvious to me, no thinking required." William stood up and found himself staring down his best friend. "Are you still working with them?" Fletcher asked incredulously. "Is that why you're not worried? Because you knew this was going to happen?"

"Of course I didn't know, don't be daft." William seethed. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down He didn't want to lose his friend again.

"Then tell your mum." Fletcher ordered, jabbing his thumb at the bedroom door. "Or McGonagall. Or those new teachers or Longbottom or someone!" Fletcher grabbed his best friend's shoulder and shook him. "Don't you see what they're doing? Have you looked in the bloody mirror? You-"

"I'm fine." William interrupted, trying to shake off Fletcher, but he was no match for the Quidditch player.

"You're not fine. You look like a walking corpse." Fletcher gestured to William's now slight frame. William shifted his weight uncomfortably. "You're not actually eating, you just take a couple bites when everyone's looking, then go back to starving yourself. You don't even sound like yourself anymore!"

"Fletcher, I don't want to fight." William tried, but Fletcher cut him off.

"Them or me."

"What?"

"Them. Or. Me." Fletcher repeated the ultimatum.

"That's not really fair, they're just trying to help-"

"Fine then." Fletcher nodded once, then opened the bedroom door. "Goodbye Will." He stepped out the door, leaving William standing in his room as he listened to the sound of his ex-best friend travelling by Floo Powder.

He sat down on his bedroom floor. He heard the songs changing on the radio and the sound of his mother and sister, but William stayed incredibly still. At one point, hours after the altercation with Fletcher, Amelia stuck her head in his room to check up on him. Once she realized that he wasn't going to speak or leave his room, she left disappointed. He missed dinner, unable to find the energy to move.

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-The Defense Against the Dark Arts Office**

"Crowley?"

"Did it when you were sick." Dean rubbed his temples. "We could probably summon him back, though. He seemed to really like the kids."

"That's disturbing." Sam shook his head softly, turning the page in their father's old journal. "Well, we need an interesting class for when everyone gets back so we don't lose their attention."

"Four Horsemen?" Dean suggested. "They're exciting if you weren't there."

Sam shrugged. "Start with War, work from there?" Dean nodded, and Sam shut the book and stowed it safely in his desk. "You know-" Sam cut himself off, shaking his head. "Nevermind."

"This better not be a chick flick moment, Sammy." Dean warned as he stood up and stretched.

"I feel like something…" Sam searched for the right word. "Bad. Is going to happen."

Dean looked at his brother with concern. "You, uh, you havin' visions again?" He asked carefully.

"No, no." Sam stood up. "It's just. You know the feeling you get on a hunt when and you look over your shoulder because you swear someone's there, but it's all clear? Then it turns out the bad guy is right in front of you?"

"So who's the baddie here?" Dean asked simply, walking out of their office into the classroom. "Katherine? Gryffin?" He chuckled. "McGonagall? I'll bet she's got some bad in there." Sam gave him one of his famous pissy looks. "Okay, but seriously? This is a school. The worse people here are O'Cassidy and Peeves and that's just because their pranks border on the line of Gabriel's."

"That William Prang kid. Something doesn't seem right about him." Sam had been thinking about this ever since they tried talking to the boy. They'd seen ghosts and vampires that looked more alive than him.

"Dude, we've already been down that road. Sometimes kids just want to be left alone." Dean pointed out, strolling out of the classroom door. "Now, are you going to keep talking about this or are we going to go to that party?"

Sam sighed and quietly followed his brother to the teacher's lounge. It was hard to stay upset when he saw the party, though.

Snowflakes were lightly falling from the ceiling, evaporating just above everyone's head. The large cake in the corner had penguins ice skating on the different layers, and small reindeer toys were flying through the air. The smell of gingerbread filled the room and Sam took a deep breath, relishing the comforting aroma.

Katherine and Gryffin immediately made their way to the brothers, smiling widely. Today, Katherine looked similar to when they met her; Short, reddish-purple hair, pale skin speckled with freckles, and striking purple eyes. "Hey guys!" She greeted with a smile.

"Hey, how'd telling your parents go?" Sam asked.

"Smashing." Gryffin beamed. He laced his arm around Katherine's back and kissed her cheek. "We found out that the baby's due February 13th."

"Hey, that's great." Dean pat Gryffin on the shoulder, a smile crossing his face.

"Yeah, we're both going to take a week off, and my parents are going to watch him for a couple of months until school's out. McGonagall was kind enough to offer to step in for my Transfiguration class while we're away." Katherine explained, taking a sip from the cup in her hands. "And she's got someone who's going to take over flying classes."

"Have you guys thought of names?" Sam asked as he grabbed a truffle from the snack table. Dean looked at the food with lust, and moved closer to the table so he could start filling up a plate.

"Well, we both want to use J.D. as the initials," Gryffin continued. "So if it's a girl-Jayne Dreah."

"And Jonathan Desmond, if its a boy." Katherine smiled widely.

"John?" Dean looked at his brother with amusement before popping a biscuit in his mouth.

"Nice name." Sam choked out, trying to contain his laughter.

"Well, we're off to spread the good news," Katherine bubbled, grabbing her partner's hand. "Hope you guys have fun."

"Yeah, you too." Sam agreed, watching the couple move on to another teacher.

Off in the corner of the room, Lindsay Grady, the Head of Hufflepuff house and the Professor for the beginner courses of the Care of Magical Creatures, was talking to Castiel about Unicorns.

"Well, they're pure gold when they're born, and after about two years, they turn bright white." Professor Grady explained. "They're protected by the Ministry because people had killed them before for their hooves or their blood."

"I would like to know how they feel about this. Are there any on the grounds you believe will speak to me?" Castiel asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Um… I've never heard of a Unicorn talking," Lindsay laughed, throwing her long light brown hair over her shoulder. "But you can definitely try. I can show you them tomorrow when I go to feed them." She offered.

"Thank you." Castiel replied, turning when he saw Sam and Dean walking towards him. "Dean, Professor Grady will be introducing me to the Unicorns tomorrow. Would you like to join us?"

"You know what, Cas, I think I'll pass." Dean answered.

Sam decided to change the subject. "Did you get someone to fix your door?"

Lindsay Grady smiled puzzlingly. "What happened to your door?"

"O'Cassidy charmed it so it sings angel songs whenever Cas walks through the door." Dean answered, chuckling at the memory.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Lindsay said through the laughter.

"I do not see how this is funny." Castiel shook his head. "O'Cassidy refuses to remove the spell."

"I'm not great at charms," Lindsay admitted, running a hand through her hair. "But I can see if it can fix it. Or at least mute it." She offered.

"It won't just go away on it's own?" Castiel asked, sighing loudly.

"I mean, eventually." Lindsay shrugged. "Usually they just last a couple of days or maybe a week, but Angela's the Charms Professor so it'll probably be more like months. She's the one that does the upkeep on the Swamp."

"Wait," Sam held up his hands. "You mean, you guys purposely leave up that swamp by our classroom?"

"It smells." Dean complained.

"It's kinda a tribute to one of the students that fought in the Battle." Lindsay explained carefully as McGonagall walked up to the group. She had a man by her side that Dean had never seen before.

"Not to mention the defeat of Umbridge." McGonagall said coldly.

"What's an Umbridge?" Sam asked, unfamiliar with the ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"A sadistic hag that tried to ruin Hogwarts. She currently resides in Azkaban, the Wizarding prison." The man answered bluntly. He held out his left hand, and a clear ripple washed over his skin, showing off the burns that littered his body and face. "Lochan Dryagomir, at your service." Sam shook his hand, then Dean.

"Was she at least hot?" Dean asked, trying to salvage the conversation and not stare at the man's scars.

"For a toad." McGonagall said with a smirk. Dean shuddered.

**The Slytherin Common Room- 2:12AM**

"So," Siobhan still had her nose stuck in the The Unregistered Animagus In You-A Guide To Unlocking Your Potential. "I think I know why we felt so awful with the Dementor." She squinted, trying to read the small, precise handwriting in the dim Common Room.

"Um, maybe because it's sucking out your life force?" Vincent suggested, shoving a cookie in his mouth. He was sitting upside down in his favorite plush armchair listening to Siobhan read from the book.

"Chocolate." She answered simply, grabbing a piece of chocolate off the table next to the chair and showing it to Vincent. He tried to grab the candy bar, but Siobhan was too fast. "Chocolate helps apparently. It says right here that we should be keeping chocolate on hand whenever we deal with the Dementors."

"An excuse to eat chocolate constantly?" Vincent finally managed to snatch the candy from her hand, breaking off half of it for her. "Say no more."

She munched on the chocolate bar, still reading. "We'll have to keep working on our Patronus' until we get them down perfectly. And we have to keep a Mandrake leave in our mouth...For a month." She made a sour face.

"Ew. I guess we could do a sticking charm?" Vincent suggested. "So we can still talk and eat and everything?"

"I don't think we can use other magic on it." Siobhan shook her head, flipping through the pages in the book. "It's supposed to be insanely difficult to master becoming an Animagus. Moony says that Wormtail had an extremely hard time conjuring the Patronus and almost didn't become an Animagus."

"Okay...But how do we eat?" Vincent asked, his mouth full of sweets.

"Carefully." Siobhan rolled her eyes, her voice clearly carrying the "duh" sound. "But we'll have to get ahold of the leaves."

"Sounds like a job for a Niffler." Vincent sat upright and wiggled his eyebrows, smiling widely.

"I do believe you are right." Siobhan glanced around, making sure they were alone, then pulled out the Marauder's Map. She pointed her wand, crafted with Holly wood and a core of Unicorn hair, at the Map and whispered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The parchment filled in the names and whereabouts of everyone in the castle, much to Siobhan's delight.

"Look's like Terry's with a different girl." Vincent peered over Siobhan's shoulder noisily.

"Lex!" Siobhan gasped. "Merlin's beard, he's with Lex Taurus!" She jabbed her finger at the Map.

"Go Terry." Vincent nodded approvingly just before Siobhan hit him on the arm with her book. "Anyways," He stared detirmeningly at the Map. "There's Longbottom, and there's the greenhouse."

"Think you can do it?" Siobhan asked.

Vincent scoffed loudly. "Of course." He boasted, standing up.

"Then let's go, my little Niffler." Siobhan kept the Marauder's Map in her hands, acting as a lookout while they crept around the castle. They snuck outside, feeling the cool air on their faces and the snow under their shoes.

Everything was going perfectly...Until they heard someone shout, "Oi! Whuer do yeh think yur runnin' ter?" Siobhan and Vincent froze, their eyes wide with fear. Siobhan flicked her eyes to the side and was surprised to see that Vincent had disappeared. Her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest as she looked around wildly for her partner when something grabbed her arm and pulled her into a shrub.

"Shh." Vincent warned quietly, pressing his finger to his lips. They peered through small holes in the bush to see Rubeus Hagrid, the Advanced Care of Magical Creatures Professor and Gamekeeper, hurrying towards them. Siobhan didn't dare breathe as Hagrid got closer, then she noticed that he was chasing a small creature. The Niffler scurried closer to their hiding spot and Siobhan found herself mentally screaming at the creature to leave. The little Niffler sat down, staring at the shrub. "Shoo," Vincent whispered, waving his hands at the creature. "Go away."

"Thur yeh are, dafty creature yeh." Hagrid scooped it up, ignoring the creature's squeak of protest as it waved its small arms at Vincent. They watched as Hagrid took the Niffler back to his hut, making the coast clear again.

"Bloody hell." Siobhan breathed, closing her eyes.

"Well, that was a close one." Vincent smiled, excited at the prospect of being caught. They hurried down the hill to the greenhouse. There were windows littering the clear walls of the greenhouse, and it didn't take long for the two troublemakers to find where the Mandrakes were stored. "Oh, man." Vincent exclaimed. He turned to Siobhan, a grimace on his face. "We forgot earmuffs."

Siobhan wordlessly dug into the bag she had on her shoulder, withdrawing two pairs of earmuffs. She slid a black pair onto her head and held out a fluffy pink pair to Vincent, who scowled.

"Why can't I have the black ones?"

"If you wanted black ones, you should've brought your own." She pointed out smugly. "Besides, the pink ones will offer more protection." Sighing, Vincent begrudgingly put on the earmuffs. "Here, put the leaves in the book so they stay flat and safe." Siobhan gave him the Animagus book, which he placed in his robes.

He climbed up a tree and slid into the greenhouse via a cracked open window, landing hard on his feet. Vincent silently walked over to the counter that held the Mandrake plants, picking up a pair of clippers hanging on a nail on the way. He looked back at Siobhan, who held up four fingers, mouthing the number. He nodded, turning back to the plants, who looked like they were asleep. He took a deep breath and raised the clippers to one of the plants, gently snipping off one of the leaves. It stirred, and Vincent closed his eyes. He carefully opened them back up to see that the Mandrake was still asleep, so he quickly cut off three more leaves and tucked in the book before placing it back in his robes. He glanced around, trying to figure out how to get out. He spotted an open window with a wooden table under it and quickly climbed on the table and out the window. Vincent, however, was not graceful enough to land on his feet from this height. He fell out of the window, landing hard on his right arm.

"Vincent!" Siobhan yelped as she ran towards the figure lying in the snow. "Vin, are you okay?"

He groaned, clutching at his arm. "I think I broke my arm." He gasped, sitting up. "But I got the leaves, safe and sound." He extracted the book with his left hand, giving it back to Siobhan. She didn't even glance at it before shoving it down in her bag. She helped Vincent shrug off his robe, leaving him shivering in just a thin, long sleeved jumper.

"Yeah, I definitely think that it's broken." She examined his arm, which looked slightly "S" shaped. "We should go to Madame Pomfrey."

"And tell her what? That I fell?" Vincent shook his head and winced. "You've got to fix it."

"Me?" Siobhan squeaked. "No, no, no. You and I both know I'm terrible at healing magic." The last time she tried to fix a cut on her leg, she ended up burning the skin. To this day, she has a small scar as a reminder.

"You'll do fine." Vincent told her. "It's not an open wound, so you should be able to use Episkey to heal it."

Siobhan nodded nervously. "Okay…" She drew her wand, placing the tip on Vincent's arm. "Episkey." Siobhan whispered.

Vincent's arm felt hot, then cold before making a sickening crack as the bone snapped back into place. He gave a cry of pain, gingerly rubbing his arm and hand. "I think it worked," He gasped as he wiggled his fingers. "You did good." He stood up and slipped on his robes, still shivering from the cold.

"Really?" Siobhan asked, excited that she managed to not set fire to his arm. "I've never had that spell work before!"

Vincent tried to not think about what the fate of his arm could have been if the spell hadn't worked perfectly. "Let's go inside, I'm freezing."

"Me, too." Siobhan agreed, and the two went back to the castle and huddled around the fireplace in the Common Room.

"I hope those leaves are worth it." Vincent sighed, rubbing his hands together and placing them near the fire.

"They will be." Siobhan reassured him, placing two leaves on the floor. She repeated the spell laid out in the book, and the leaves glowed bright green. "Here, open up." Siobhan tossed one of the leaves in his mouth before popping the other in hers. It tasted slightly spicy, but not uncomfortably so. "What do you think?" Her voice came out slightly muffled, but still recognizable.

"Kinda makes my tongue tingly." He ran his tongue over the leaf, which was now lodged between his cheek and gums.

"We have to leave it in about a month, and practice our Patronus' at least three times a day." Siobhan informed him, closing the book and placing it in her bag.

Vincent withdrew his wand and cast the charm. He wasn't sure if it was from practice or from the Mandrake leaf, but his Patronus glowed brighter than ever. Smiling, Siobhan followed suit, and soon there was a Dragon soaring through the Common Room, with a Niffler close behind.


	24. Caged Heat

**TAVR's Meeting Room**

"Sir," The tall man bowed low, his yellowish eyes flashing as he looked up at Mors Mangone. "I have reason to believe that the boy has told someone about the letters."

Mors Mangone closed his eyes, his hands placed carefully on the table he sat at. The various members of the Vampire Rights group looked around at each other with a mixture of concern and fear. Even Bellator Tenebrae stayed silent as she glared at Morphinus Mutar, the man who brought forth the news of the betrayal. Morphinus hissed quietly at Bellator, who quickly drew her wand. Mors held up one hand, preventing Bellator from casting. He opened his green eyes slowly and drew in a breath. "It was to be expected." He explained. "It seems that people nowadays have issues keeping secrets." His voice boomed, echoing through the room. Several members flinched, and one wizard cast his eyes down in regret. One minute, Mors was sitting at the head of the table; The next, he was standing behind the guilty man, a shiny sword in his pale hands. The sword sliced through the air with barely a whisper as Theodore's head went flying, the blade slashing through the Vampire's neck. The blood splattered mostly on the witch next to him, whose eyes were wide with fear as she sat as still as possible. Mors handed the sword to Brutus Exitiale, who started cleaning the blood off the weapon. "This," Mors waved his hand to the decapitated body, now slumped over the table. "Is what happens to traitors!" He yelled, baring his fangs in a hiss at the remaining Vampires. "Theodore felt it necessary to spread information about our agenda while intoxicated. He told Adam de Cove, the esteemed reporter for the Daily Prophet, about us bewitching Bill Compton. The same Adam de Cove who was found slaughtered in Diagon Alley just this morning." Mors strolled around the table slowly, his hands clasped behind his back. "He divulged confidential information to one not of our order. A reporter!" He bellowed, even causing Bellator to fixate her eyes on the wood table. "I hope that this serves as a warning to any of you that has thought of straying from our path. Faeryn!" A small, dark skinned Vampire looked up in fear at her name being mentioned. "Write a note to our dear William Prang. Tell him that we know about him talking to his friend and about what could happen to Mr. Kiliwahl if he continues. Let him...Simmer on the threat." Faeryn Nobletonic nodded sharply. "Good." He snapped his fingers at the Deartháirs, then pointed at the lifeless body of Theodore. "Clean this up, please. Dispose of that somewhere public."

"Sir," Morphinus avoided eye contact as he addressed the leader. "I believe I should get back to the Prang household. I'm sure that Amelia has noticed my absence by now."

Mors stared at Morphinus, scrutinizing his every move. Finally, he nodded. "Yes, that is wise. And remember-You must not be caught in human form."

"Of course, Sir." Morphinus bowed before Apparating out of the room.

**The Great Hall- Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"Hey," Katherine greeted Sam and Dean as they sat down at the teacher's table for breakfast. "Have you guys seen this morning's Daily Prophet?"

"No, why?" Sam sat down next to Katherine, who was reading the paper.

"They found the Vampire responsible for those murders." Gryffin explained, taking a drink of orange juice.

"Really?" Dean asked in a faux-surprise voice as he dished out some food on his plate. "Who was it?"

"Some guy named Bill Compton." Katherine answered. "He was decapitated several days ago, but it's only been released today since they found the body of the missing reporter." She handed the paper back to Gryffin.

"Reporter?" Sam echoed, real surprise lacing his voice. "What reporter?"

"Adam de Cove." Gryffin clarified. "He's the one that's been writing about the Vampire rights protests. He disappeared right after he wrote the article on the Whitechapel murders and they just found his body this morning. His body was fully drained of blood." Katherine looked down at her food, and found that she had lost her appetite.

"Why kill the reporter, though?" Sam asked.

Katherine shrugged. "Maybe he knew too much."

Across the Great Hall sat Siobhan and Vincent. Like usual, Vincent was tucking into his food with vigor, but Siobhan found she wasn't hungry. She was bouncing her leg under the table and picking at her fingernails distractedly.

"Siah, what's wrong?" Vincent asked, careful of the Mandrake leaf in his mouth. "You haven't stopped moving since we came down for breakfast."

Siobhan tucked her head down slightly, shifting closer to Vincent. "Do you know who he is?"

"Who?"

She slid her eyes towards the staff table, being careful to not make eye contact with the unknown man. "Him." She growled, tilting her head slightly towards the table.

"The Viking sitting next to McGonagall?" Vincent asked, looking up at the man. "Heard he might be substituting for Hamal." Vincent yawned, still tired from being up so late last night.

"He's going to be in charge of Quidditch?" Siobhan yelped, still keeping her head down.

"Yeah," Vincent nodded. "Why are you acting so weird?"

"I don't know," Siobhan shook her head. "I'm just...Not sure."

Back at the staff table, Lochan Dryagomir was just as uncomfortable.

"Are you quite alright?" Minerva McGonagall finally asked her partner after watching him twitch for several minutes.

"I feel...Odd." Lochan admitted softly. He tried to think of a word to describe why he felt defensive all of a sudden. "Almost...Territorial."

Minerva's face and demeanor changed instantly. "Human territorial or animal territorial?" She asked softly, careful to keep her voice down.

"Animal." Lochan murmured definitely. "The only time I ever feel this way is when I'm around Dragons." His eyes roamed the Great Hall discreetly, the uneasiness eating away at him.

Minerva paused, looking thoughtful. "Well, let us see if Hagrid has brought in anything that he shouldn't have." Lochan nodded. "Perhaps then we shall check with Katherine when she's alone. She may have a student that has developed a Dragon Patronus in her class."

**Hagrid's Hut**

"No, Ma'am." Hagrid shook his large head violently. "I havn't had any Dragon thin's since my Norberta." He picked up the tea kettle and poured the oddly colored liquid into two massive teacups, offering one to each of his visitors.

Lochan took the oversized teacup and looked around the small hut, careful of the hams and pheasants hanging from the ceiling, he noted the Unicorn tail hair bunches in the corner. "Who I hear is doing well." He announced. "She's nesting, by the way."

McGonagall hesitated. "Hagrid, dear, would you so kind as to let me know if you see any signs of Dragons near by?"

"Ar we bringin' Dragons in fer classes?" Hagrid asked excitedly. "I'd gladly do classes on 'em. Teach them children that thur seriously missunderstood creatures, they ar."

Minerva shot Lochan, who was smiling, an exasperated look. "No, Hagrid. We are not bringing them in for classes."

Hagrid noticeably deflated. "I'll keep'n eye out, Professur." he said with disappointment.

"Thank you." McGonagall and Lochan gently set down their untouched tea and left the small hut.

"I'll keep you updated on Norberta." Lochan called over his shoulder. "So, it's not Hagrid." Lochan started up the steps back to the castle, glad for the warm cloak around him.

Minerva walked beside him. "Is your discomfort better or worse while you are outdoors?"

Lochan paused, taking a deep breath of crisp air. He shook his head. "It's not as bad, but there's definitely something off."

"We'll ask Katherine about her Transfiguration students." Minerva promised.

**Transfiguration Office**

"A Dragon?" Katherine Reid asked with a small smile. "You know how rare magical creature Patronus' are." She sat down behind her desk, searching for a specific piece of parchment.

"We have reason to believe that a student might have conjured a Dragon Patronus." Minerva answered, sitting down in one of the chairs in her previous office.

"Quite frankly, the only Dragon Patronus I've ever heard of in modern times, is yours, Lochan." Katherine disclosed as she located the list she was searching for. "These are all the students in my NEWT level class." She handed the parchment over to Minerva, who inspected it with great interest. "None of them are training to be Animagus, nor do they have any noteworthy Patronus'."

Minerva sighed and stood up, knowing the students on this list were not candidates. "Thank you, Katherine." She and Lochan started towards the door.

"Have you spoken to Hagrid? You know he fancies things that bite." Katherine called after them. "And spew fire."


	25. Sin City

**The Prang House, Balf Street**

William Prang sat incredibly still on his bed, his mind reeling with the events of the school year. _How did this happen? _He asked himself. _It wasn't supposed to be like this. I just wanted her to be able to go to school. How did things go so wrong so fast?_

He heard the distinct, heavy sounds of his mother's footsteps charging up the stairs, and he mentally prepared himself for what was coming.

"William. Walsh. Prang." Each syllable was drawn out as Kendra Prang appeared in the doorway of her son's room. "What is the matter with you?" When he didn't respond, she continued. "I gave you all day yesterday to get over whatever this is, but this is ridiculous. Fletcher flew out of here faster than a broomstick, and I believe I deserve to know why." She walked further into the room and put her hands on her hips, glaring down at him.

William squirmed under her gaze, trying to think of an acceptable response. "Girl." He offered lamely.

"A girl?" His mother repeated with a deadpan expression.

"Her name is Adalena. Fletcher knew I liked her and he asked her out anyway." He hoped his lie and pitiful demeanor would be enough to satisfy his mother.

"Adalena Akeel?" His mother asked, her voice ladled with scepticism. William nodded. "Isn't she the one you called a 'busybody who couldn't keep her nose out of everyone's arse', and I believe that's a direct quote."

William paused. "Things change!" He cried, shoving his face in a pillow.

Kendra rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine." She turned to leave, but William stopped her.

"Mum?"

Kendra turned around. "Yes?"

"Can we…" William hesitated, plucking at his pillow. "Talk?" William moved over on the bed so his mom could sit.

"About Fletcher?" She asked gently, brushing a lock of hair off his forehead.

William shook his head. "Amelia."

"Oh," His mother blurted out. "What about her?"

"Mum, she's got no idea why she's different from us. She doesn't know why she gets left out of things other than it's because she's part Vampire, she doesn't understand any of it." His mother flinched at the word, but he kept going. "I feel bad and want to fix it because she's my sister, but I can't. You need to tell her."

Kendra's dark eyes teared up and sobs burst from her as she held William's pillow to her chest.

**Approximately 12 Years Ago**

Kendra Prang's hands tightened on her copy of "Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires" as she waited anxiously for her turn. Her dark hair was wavy down her back, a small, mossy green hat perched on top. She wore a matching green cloak with a gold clasp on the neck over a black dress. She stood, waiting eagerly in the long line leading to Flourish and Blotts for the opportunity to have the author, Eldred Worple, sign her copy of the bestseller. Her eyes brightened in excitement as she caught a glimpse of the author. Eldred Worple was short and wore glasses, but Kendra barely saw him when she finally reached the autographing table. Her eyes immediately locked on the pale man standing next to Eldred's chair. The man was tall and thin with grey shadows around his dark eyes, which were focused on Kendra. She smiled brightly, depositing her book on the table for Eldred to sign.

"Your name, my dear?" The author asked politely.

"Kendra." She purred, still entranced with the man. The author scribbled something generic on the title page of her book, keeping a wary eye on his guest.

"Sanguini." The tall man bowed his head slightly and took Kendra's hand, gently kissing the top of it while pulling her closer…

Kendra woke up in an unfamiliar place. The bed she lay in was soft, with blood red silk sheets and plush velvet comforters. There was music flowing from the Wizarding Wireless Network box he had on the table next to the large bed. The smell of fresh flowers hung in the air and Kendra's eyes flittered open. A figure sat in a chair in the corner of the room, watching her with interest. Sanguini, without breaking eye contact, raised a gold goblet up to his mouth, taking a drink from the fresh blood it held. The events from the night before crashed over Kendra, as did a wave of shame over her moment of weakness. If this act of betrayal had taught her anything, it was that her relationship with her husband was worth salvaging. She sat up, pulling the soft covers around her in an attempt at modesty.

"Your clothing is over there." Sanguini nodded to the table near her. Kendra cast her eyes down and moved to grab her dress.

The song cut off abruptly on the radio, only to be replaced by a cool voice._ "We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news. The casualties for today are: Octavius Pepper, Cherry Qurtamus, Daniel Prang…"_

Kendra shot out of bed, her heart beating madly as she tried to process what she had just heard.

"Is there something wrong?" Sanguini asked, his voice bored.

She sat perfectly still on the bed, her eyes wide with shock. "Daniel Prang is my husband."

**The Great Hall-Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Sybill Trelawney fluttered into the Great Hall holding a large pink box, much to the surprise of the students as well as the Professors. She rounded the staff table, taking a seat next to Sam Winchester, who looked like he had smelled something foul. Dean elbowed his brother, smiling and nodding his head to the woman. Katherine and Gryffin looked like they were trying to contain their laughter, waiting eagerly for the exchange.

"Hello, Sam." Trelawney breathed, her thin, wild hair touching Sam's shoulder as she leaned in closer. She touched his leg softly, causing Sam to jerk back. "I've brought you a present."

"Christmas was the other day." Sam tried weakly.

"The spirits told me that today was the day to give it to you." She deposited the pink box in front of Sam, careful of his plate full of sweets. Her large eyes were protruding as she gazed at him, her cheeks flushed with color. Seeing no other option, Sam untied the pink ribbon and opened the offending object. In it, wrapped in brightly colored paper, was a bottle of expensive sherry and several sticks of her favorite incense.

As he inspected the gift, Trelawney picked up a biscuit, nearing shoving it in Sam's mouth. "Pudding?"


	26. When The Levee Breaks

**The Prang House, Balfe Street**

Kendra Prang held her breath as her hand hovered over the doorknob to her daughter's room. She blinked her dark eyes rapidly, trying to clear the tears that were threatening to overflow. A darkness seemed to be eating at her soul and she felt raw shame over what she did twelve years ago. Before she could change her mind, she quickly turned the knob and yanked the door open.

Amelia was sitting on her bed reading a book, her snake Morphinus curled around her left arm. The snake hissed loudly when he saw her mom standing in the doorway, alerting her to Kendra's presence.

"Hey, mum." The blonde closed her book, placing it on the bed next to her. "Shh, Morfy." She wagged her finger at the snake, who started to slither off her arm. Amelia climbed off her bed and gently placed her snake in it's enclosure.

"Amelia, I need to talk to you." Kendra said softly, coming further into the room. The mom looked around awkwardly, surveying her daughter's bedroom. It was always incredibly clean, especially for an eleven year old. Her bed was neatly made on the top of the bunk bed with a built-in wardrobe where the second bed would be. The room was in lavender, white, and silver with a large white desk in the corner. She had a silver bookcase filled with colorful books, both new and old. Even the purple rug on the floor was perfectly straight and measurable with a ruler. The room was so light and cheerful, it didn't look like it belonged in the same house as the dark and cluttered room her mother slept in. "I...uhh...I have something...important to talk to you about."

Amelia's extremely light blue eyes lit up and her entire demeanor changed. "You got me into Hogwarts?" She half-shrieked, running abnormally fast to hug her mother.

Kendra pursed her lips and shut her eyes tightly, wishing that was the news she had to bring. "No, Amelia." She shook her head, looking down at her daughter. "It's not about Hogwarts. Well, it is, but it's not that they've accepted you."

"Oh." Amelia squeaked, stepping away from her mother. She sat down in the white chair by her desk, looking dejected.

Kendra pulled up the other chair and eased herself down in it, trying to decide how to approach the topic. "Have you...ever wondered, Amelia, why you don't look like me or William?"

Amelia furrowed her almost translucent eyebrows, deep in thought. "I thought it's because I'm part Vampire."

Kendra sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Yes, that's a major part of it," She bit her lip and looked down at the floor. "Amelia, you're part Vampire." The pale blonde nodded. "But there's no Vampirism in the family. Me, William…We're human." Amelia still didn't look like she understood, so Kendra decided to be blunt. "Daniel Prang is William's father...But he's not your biological father."

Amelia gave a short laugh. "Of course he is. William and I are siblings." She combed her pale blonde hair with her hand. "I'm his sister."

"You and William are half-siblings." She explained. "Your real father's name is Sanguini. We met when Daniel and I were having problems in our relationship." Kendra tried to look at her daughter, but the guilt was insufferable.

"Sanguini?" Amelia asked, looking down at her hands. "My...My real father's name is...Sanguini?" Kendra nodded mutely. "I'm half Vampire...Because of you?"

"It was a mistake-" Kendra tried, but Amelia cut her off.

Amelia closed her eyes. "So, I was a mistake?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that-"

"But you did." Amelia accused, standing up. "You made a mistake, and now here I am, unable to be normal!" She screeched. "I can't even go to school like normal eleven year olds!"

"I'm going to give you some time to process this…" Kendra left the room, her heart aching as her mind replayed her daughter's voice. She went to her room and closed the door, sliding down the wall into a heap of sadness and tears.

A few hours later, there was a knock on Kendra's door.

"Mum?" William knocked again, a bit harder now. "Mum, I made supper."

"Go away." Kendra croaked, her voice and throat raw from crying. "I'm not hungry."

"Neither am I." William whispered, recognizing the lost cause that is his mother. He thought she was doing better, having not only getting dressed and coming out of her room, but her making breakfast the other day. He walked over to his sister's room, shocked at the sight of her bedroom door being shut. Amelia's door was never shut. William backtracked to his room, going straight to the jar of blood-flavored lollipops he had hidden in a hollowed out book on Quidditch. Holding a lollipop firmly in his hand, he walked back up to his sister's room. He cautiously knocked on the door, appreciating that he could knock softly and know his sister could still hear it.

The door opened, revealing a very heartbroken Amelia. Her normally straight, thin pale hair was in disarray...As was her room. Books were thrown about, the comforter on the bed was rumpled. Her light blue eyes were still teary, surrounded by a ring of redness and dark circles. Her pale skin was covered in dry tears, and her lips were raw, like she had been biting them.

"Lia…" William felt the air leave his lungs and he held out the lollipop for her. Amelia snatched it out of his hands, unwrapping it and popping it into her mouth with skilled precision.

"What do you want?" She asked, her voice slightly muffled by the candy in her mouth.

"I wanted to check up on you," William defended himself. "Mum is pretty upset…"

"She's upset because she's a lying cheater!" Amelia cried turning and climbing up to her bed.

"So she told you." William stepping into her room, pulling up the same chair his mother sat in to tell her the news of her parenthood. He turned the chair, resting his arms on the back of it.

"You knew?!" She cried, new tears forming in her eyes.

"Not the details," He assured her fast. "I figured out the same mum, different dad thing pretty fast. We read about half Vampires in school, and apparently they either come out with extremely dark hair and eyes," He paused. "Or they have extremely light hair and eyes. When I came home for the Holidays after that, I told mum that she had to tell you that you were half Vampire."

"You made her tell me?!" Amelia squeaked, her voice rising in pitch.

"I thought you should know-" William said slowly, trying to figure out why his sister was suddenly mad at him.

"Ever since she told me, my life has been terrible!" She yelled, taking the lollipop out of her mouth. "Now the Ministry won't let me go to school! Because I'm dangerous, apparently!" She jumped off the bed, landing softly on her feet. Amelia stalked towards him, her mouth pressed together tightly.

"You've been registered with the Ministry since you were born!" William tried to explain.

"It's partly your fault." She shook her head. "You're not even fully my brother." Amelia spat, turning back to her bed. "Get out of my room."

"Amelia-"

"Get out." She ordered, her teary eyes flashing with anger. She actually looks dangerous, William thought as he left her room, closing the door.

He walked back into the kitchen, looking at the stew he had made for dinner. He felt anger and tried to suppress the urge to toss the dinner into the garbage. He settled with packaging it up incase anyone wanted to eat it later. He tromped back up to his room to try to displace his anger to his homework. Five minutes into his essay on "The Perfect Polyjuice Potion-Information, Ingredients, and Instructions", He noticed that he wasn't writing about Potions. Written plainly on the parchment was a draft of a letter to TAVR.

_"Dear Members of TAVR,_

_I have realized what a colossal mistake I have made in telling someone about you guys. I am sorry and wish to make it up to you in any way possible. I still want to help my sister and all the children who cannot have equal rights just because of their blood. Please let me continue to help this cause._

_William Prang"_

Before he had too long to think about the consequences of his actions, he went downstairs to where his owl was and gave her the note, telling her to find TAVR. She flew off after a bribe with a treat, and William felt relieved for the first time in what felt forever.

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry- The Slytherin Common Room**

"Siah!" Vincent Cruz called, sliding into the Common Room, his face alight with excitement. Siobhan Hesse was asleep in her favorite plush armchair, her arms hugging "The Unregistered Animagus In You-A Guide To Unlocking Your Potential" tight to her chest. Her flannel clad legs were curled up comfortably under her, and Vincent had a quiet laugh about how small and innocent she looked. Until she woke up.

"Vincent, there better be a bloody good reason why you're waking me up early." She grumbled, her eyes barely open.

"Has anyone ever told you that you resemble a dragon when you're not quite awake?" Vincent asked, dodging a slipper she took off her foot to throw at him. "Anyways," He walked over to her, flopping down on the couch by her chair. "Check your locket."

"You mean, check the locket I stole for you." She corrected, begrudgingly sitting up, placing her book safely in her lap before opening the silver clasp on her present. What she saw made her sit up straight and seemed to wash the sleepiness immediately. Siobhan looked at Vincent with large, excited eyes. "No snow." She said incredulously. "Did you know the sun is out and it's not snowing?"

"I hadn't the foggiest." Vincent said sarcastically. "Wanna practice some Quidditch with my new broom?"

Siobhan grinned, showing off all of her white teeth. "Maybe with the broom, you'll actually be able to catch me." She taunted.

Vincent rolled his eyes, his mouth curling into a smirk. "Flying doesn't come naturally to all of us, ya know." He eyes wandered to the book. "And maybe you shouldn't have the book just out in the open."

"I put a charm on it last night." She grinned mischievously. "If you don't know what book it is, you see just a typical school book. According to Lex, it's an Astronomy book."

"But you don't take Astronomy." Vincent reminded her.

"And that's why I have to read up on it." Siobhan said in an innocent voice, batting her long eyelashes at him. "I'm very interested in Astronomy." She nodded her head, almost unable to keep a straight face at the idea of being interested in something like Astronomy.

"Astronomy, right." Vincent snickered, remembering the time she almost threw her telescope at Professor Sinistra. "Anyways, get dressed, meet down here in ten minutes?"

She nodded sharply. "Bring the broom." Siobhan smiled before jumping out of the chair and up to the girls' dormitory. Siobhan looked around the room, making sure that Lex was asleep before she hid her book. She retrieved the Marauder's Map while she was at it, deciding it could be useful.

Siobhan quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth before changing into a warm, long sleeved shirt and pants. She opened up her locket again and decided that although the sun was out, it was probably still frigid out. She pulled on her Weasley jumper over her shirt before shoving her double-socked feet into her Quidditch boots. She slid the Map into the pocket, making sure it was hidden. She was glad that the Map had a form of defense, staying blank unless the right words were said, but they both agreed to keep it as concealed as possible. They didn't want to take the chance of someone figuring it was just normal parchment and throwing it out or writing on it. Siobhan then grabbed her broom, a beautiful Turbo XXX, and raced down the stairs to where Vincent was waiting.

They started to walk out of the Common Room when Siobhan stopped abruptly. "Can we eat breakfast in the kitchens? We should thank Winky for the presents."

Vincent stopped and turned to face her. "This isn't about Winky, is it?" He asked, his hand clutching his new broom.

Siobhan took a deep breath, her eyes locked on the floor. "I got that same weird feeling at dinner yesterday, and I mean, it hasn't gone away but it seemed to be worse when everyone is in the Great Hall together."

Vincent nodded. "Okay, we'll eat in the kitchen." He agreed, letting her lead the way out of the Common Room and to the painting by the Hufflepuff staircase. They were almost to the kitchens when they met up with Terry MacCormick...and Carina and Jean Nott, the twin Chasers from the Gryffindor Quidditch team. The dark haired Seeker had his arms draped over each of the twin's shoulders, all three stumbling around the castle, laughing and joking with each other. Siobhan could smell the alcohol on them.

"Hey, Terry." Siobhan greeted cautiously, trying to gauge how pissed he was.

"Hey, Siobhan," Terry gushed happily. Ahh, Siobhan thought. Quite pissed. "You know Jean and Carina." He pulled both girls closer, the three of them smiling widely.

"Wotcha." They both giggled simultaneously.

The moment turned slightly awkward.

"Well," Terry started loudly. "Unless you two want to join us, and the offer always stands." He assured them quickly, winking at Vincent. "We'll be off to the Gryffindor Towers." The twins blushed and smiled, each of them kissing his cheek as they strolled off.

When they were finally alone, Siobhan's eyes flicked to Vincent's.

"So, Terry…" She smiled uneasily.

"And the twins…" Vincent finished. They both burst out in laughter, Siobhan clutching her stomach when it started to ache.

"Merlin's beard, that's so Terry!" She cried, the smile still plastered on her face as they walked up to the painting that lead to the kitchens.

"Will you do the honors, madame?" Vincent bowed, waving his hand towards the large oil painting of a bowl of fruit.

"I shall." Siobhan nodded her head, bowing slightly before tickling the pear in the painting. The pear tickled and laughed, squirming before transforming into a doorknob.

Vincent took hold of the doorknob and opened the door for Siobhan, who climbed through. Winky ran up to them immediately, her large brown eyes lit up with excitement.

"Misses Siobhan! Misters Vincent! Winky is so happy to sees you!" The small House Elf cried in her high pitched voice.

"Winky! We're happy to see you, too!" Vincent beamed.

"We wanted to thank you for our Christmas gifts!" Siobhan told her. "And have breakfast with you, if you haven't already had it."

"Winky would loves to! Winky is happy you like the gifts!" She led them to one of the long tables inhabiting the large kitchens, and the House Elves quickly had piles of breakfast foods laid out in front of them. Siobhan helped herself to large amounts of the fluffy scrambled eggs and the crisp bacon and sausage, knowing that Quidditch training with Vincent was going to take a lot of energy. He looked as if he was doing the same, having somehow already gone through two scones.

Winky was nibbling on a piece of toast, telling Siobhan all about how she was trying to quit drinking so much Butterbeer. Siobhan was very positive, making Winky feel better about her attempts. Soon, Siobhan and Vincent were stuffed full, emphatically thanking the House Elves for the delicious food as they left the spacious kitchens.

Siobhan and Vincent walked out the castle, on their way to the Quidditch Field. It was a beautiful day for the middle of winter in Scotland; Some of the snow had melted with the presence of the sun, which was bright and welcoming. There were small patches of snow on the field, but the air was perfect for Quidditch practice with not even a hint of wind. Apparently Gryffin Hamal and Lochan Dryagomir thought the same, because both were heading to the pitch, each carrying a side of a Quidditch practice trunk.

The moment Siobhan saw them, her stomach dropped and her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest. She clenched her teeth, her eyes darting back and forth between the two Professors.

"Oh, look." Vincent said cheerfully, blissfully unaware of the inner turmoil churning through Siobhan. "That Viking teacher's here." Vincent strolled up to the Professors, but Siobhan was cautiously skulking behind him, her body turned in a defensive position.

"Hello Vincent, hello Siobhan." Gryffin greeted brightly as he and Lochan set down the chest in the middle of the field. "Come to practice?"

Siobhan stayed silent, so it was Vincent who answered. "Yes, sir. Siobhan got me this new broom for Christmas, so I need to break it in before the next game."

Gryffin nodded with a smile. "That's great." He looked over to Lochan, who was lightly bouncing on his toes. "This is Loch-..Uh, I mean, Professor Dryagomir." He corrected himself. "He's going to be taking over classes in February for me."

"Oh, well I'm Vincent Cruz." He shook hands with the blond, then looked over to Siobhan. "And my now silent mate is Siobhan Hesse." She stayed quiet and Vincent nudged her arm. She gave a faint hiss, slowly edging herself around Lochan, who was trying to stay nonchalant while side stepping around her. The two looked like rival predators trying not to confront or test each other. Lochan nodded shortly, still refusing to make eye contact with her. They were watching each other discreetly through their peripheral vision.

"You two wanna play teachers versus students?" Gryffin suggested, trying to break the tension in the air. "Lochan here wanted to practice before classes resume." Gryffin clapped his friend on the shoulder, trying to be friendly. Lochan growled and abruptly threw off Gryffin's hand, walking over to the chest of practice balls. Gryffin raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything about his friend's unusual behavior.

"Sure, we're game. Right, Siobhan?" Vincent went to throw his arm around her shoulders but she quickly maneuvered out of reach. Vincent gave her an odd, confused look as she gripped the handle of her broomstick so tight that her knuckles turned a startling white.

Gryffin grabbed a Bludger. "So, we'll play with two Keepers, and the other two will play Chaser/Beater? First team to score a hundred wins?"

"I'll play Keeper." Vincent volunteered immediately, throwing a bat to Siobhan. She caught it swiftly with one hand without turning to look at it. Vincent's eyes widened and he marveled, "Nice catch."

"You mind if I'm Keeper?" Gryffin turned to ask Lochan, but the man had already taken off on his broom and was soaring high in the air with his bat. He turned and smiled at Vincent. "Guess that means yes."

Siobhan mounted her broom, feeling a rush of power surge through her as she rose in the air. Vincent and Gryffin flew over to their respective goals, ready to defend the posts. Siobhan was careful to keep Lochan in her view without actually looking at him; Something deep within warned her to not look at him.

Gryffin raised his wand, shooting red sparks out of the tip to signal the start of the game.

Siobhan immediately caught sight of the Bludger zooming around her. She smashed her bat against the ball with an audible crack as it soared towards the goal Gryffin was protecting. He deflected it quickly, beating the Bludger in between Siobhan and Lochan. Both dived for the ball, looking up to see where the other was. Their eyes locked and Siobhan felt something completely unknown burn inside of her. Lochan erupted, his broom falling to the ground; The spot in the air that he was now hosted a metallic grey-silver Ukrainian Ironbelly. The Dragon jolted upwards before flying back in the opposite direction of the field. Siobhan quickly banked her broom upwards in shock and noticed that her skin began to ripple until it resembled scales. Siobhan gave a screech, jerking her broom down. She quickly landed, dropped her broom and ran off towards the castle, her skin returning to normal as quickly as it had changed.

Siobhan ran as fast as she could into the castle, stopping at a turret facing the Quidditch Pitch. She put her hands on the cool stone, frantically checking her arms for scales. She felt as though she was vibrating and she tried to breath in and out slowly to calm herself. It wasn't long before Vincent ran in, holding their brooms, trying to find her.

"Siah," He panted, trying to catch his breath. "What the bloody hell was that-Oh." He stopped abruptly, his eyes widening as she turned around to face him. "Your eyes." He choked out, pointing at her face.

"What?" She cried in alarm, her trembling fingers patting at her face.

Vincent pulled out his wand. "Accio mirror." A small compact flew through the air, landing in his outstretched hand. He silently opened it and handed it to Siobhan.

She couldn't believe what she saw. Rather than seeing her sage colored eyes, her eyes were emerald green and her pupils had retracted to black, oval slits. Siobhan blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to blink her eyes back to normal. When that didn't work, she rubbed them with her hand...To no avail.

She looked at Vincent, her new eyes wide in fright. "What if it doesn't go back? Do you think people with notice?"

Vincent shrugged. "It's wicked. I like it." He wiggled his eyebrows, and Siobhan groaned.

"Shut it!" Siobhan cried, hiding her eyes with her sleeve. "You're a cute little Niffler! This isn't what I thought would happen."

"You think I'm cute?" He teased, winking at her. She glared at him, and Vincent turned serious. "Do you want to stop practicing, Siah? We don't have to continue the Animagus thing, maybe your eyes will fade and go back to normal." He suggested softly.

"I don't think I can stop." Siobhan whispered, fear slipping into her voice as she shook her head. "I'll meet you in the Great Hall later. I need a bigger mirror." She turned and ran to the nearest girl's lavatory, bracing herself for what she might see.

Her hair was especially wild and seemed to be glowing like fire around her. She was crestfallen to see that her eyes were still reptilian, green and black. She chewed on her lip with teeth that felt...sharper, trying to fight off tears as she stared at her reflection. She splashed water on her face, checking to see if anything changed; It hadn't. She finally grew frustrated with her altered reflection, knowing that Vincent was probably worried as he waited for her in the Great Hall. She left the lavatory and slowly started down the corridor.

Siobhan felt like she was vibrating again, the same feeling she got before Lochan changed into a Dragon. She slid over closer to the window, keeping her head forward as her eyes searched the skies. Lochan silently walked up near her causing her to hold her breath in fear.

Without looking directly at her, Lochan murmured, "If you are contemplating the kind of advanced transfiguration that I believe you are attempting, you must be extremely careful. We are not simple creatures. I can help you." He then walked away, careful to not make eye contact with her again.


	27. The Man Who Knew Too Much

Siobhan continued to the Great Hall and quickly spotted Vincent, although he was at the furthest end of the large room.

He looked up and breathed a sigh of relief as she came to sit next to him. "Merlin's beard, I was worried, Siah."

"That teacher knows." She murmured, her new eyes darting around the practically empty room. Siobhan could tell that Lochan wasn't in the room, but she was still on alert and practically buzzing with adrenaline.

Vincent furrowed his eyebrows. "How?"

"It's like we can…" Siobhan tried to put the uneasy feeling into words. "Sense each other. He warned me to be careful." She paused and added, "He said he could help me."

Vincent shook his head. "No way. He'll tell the Ministry and they'll throw us in Azkaban." His heart raced as he remembered the cold depression that ate into him the first time they tried to conjure their Patronus. "I can't go to Azkaban, I'm still afraid of the dark." He reminded Siobhan, who rolled her eyes. "And to top it all off, he's with McGonagall."

Siobhan rolled her eyes and sighed. "Why would he offer to help if his entire plan was to send us to prison? He could've just told McGonagall outright rather than approaching me in the hall." She pointed out.

"Are you going to look like that?" Vincent blurted out.

Siobhan was taken aback. "What?"

"When you fully change." He clarified, looking down at the wood table. "Are you going to be all grey and white?"

"I doubt it," Siobhan said slowly. "He's a different kind of Dragon. Plus the white blotches are all those scars on his face. The book said you still keep your basic characteristics, like scars and eye colors."

"What do you mean, scars?"

"All those scars on his face and arms." Siobhan motioned to the left side of her face. "They're all pink and white, like burns."

Vincent slightly tilted his head to the side. "He didn't look scarred to me."

Siobhan bit her lip without considering the changes, like her slightly over sharpened teeth. A metallic-tasting liquid flowed from the wound, and Siobhan's hand flew to her bloody lip. She looked at her hand, the blood a startling bright red against her fair skin.

**The Headmistress' Office**

Lochan Dryagomir strolled into McGonagall's office and instantly stopped upon seeing her face. "Hello, Lochan." She greeted cooly.

He flashed a bright smile, trying to determine how much trouble he was in. "Hi, Minnie. Can I just you look really pretty in that shade of green..." She held up one hand dismissively.

"Do you know who I just spoke to?" Minerva asked, not waiting for an answer. "Gryffin Hamal. He just informed me on what happened out on the Quidditch Pitch."

"Oh," Lochan looked down at his feet, trying to ignore his partner's prying eyes. "That."

"You do know I've given students detention for less." She rubbed her temple and sighed. "Now, I will have to explain to those students that you are a different kind of Animagi and make sure they are not afraid of you."

Lochan snorted in response and said, "I doubt it'll be a big deal for those two."

"What do you mean?" Minerva asked, tilting her head slightly as she inspected him.

"I'm dealing with this. I'll take care of it." Lochan explained as Minerva sputtered. "No," He shook his head at her. "You've got to let me deal with this myself."

Minerva gave him a dubious look before walking out of her office. She found the two students she was searching for, Siobhan Hesse and Vincent Cruz, on their way out of the Great Hall.

"Oh, busted." Vincent whispered upon seeing the Headmistress approaching them.

"Shut it." Siobhan whispered back, trying to keep her eyes downward and not attract the teacher's attention. "Remember, we've done nothing wrong." She growled, watching the Headmistress make a beeline for them.

"I understand that you were on the Quidditch Pitch when Professor Dryagomir...Transformed." Minerva put her hand on Siobhan's arm. "If you have any questions, I am here. He is an Animagus, like me, and there's no reason for you to be afraid of him."

Vincent started to snicker, but Siobhan hit him again. "Thank you, Headmistress." She waited until the teacher strolled away before bursting into a fit of laughter. "Afraid of him! How ridiculous!"

"I think I'm more afraid of you in the mornings." Vincent chuckled as he rubbed the spot where Siobhan smacked him.

**The Train En Route to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

William W. Prang sat alone on the train back to Hogwarts. He was in the last compartment in the back, as far away from his old friends as possible. Adalena had smiled and waved to him at the platform, but William could barely manage a smile. It felt like a darkness had grown in him and everything looked bleak at best. He knew she was only trying to make him feel better, but he was sure that she would change her stance as soon as she spoke to Fletcher.

While on the train, William tried to draft a letter to TAVR. The train ride was smooth, but William couldn't keep his hands from shaking. Every letter he wrote came out oddly deformed and he grew frustrated at his body's betrayal.

"Anything from the trolley, dear?" The woman asked kindly, peering into his compartment. Her trolley was packed with brightly colored sweets that seemed to scream William's name.

"No, thank you." William said quietly, trying not to look at the treats.

"Are you sure?" She prodded. "You look a bit peckish."

William's stomach growled as a response and he nodded as he dug into his pockets. "Two pumpkin pasties, please?"

The woman smiled and dug out the treats for him, giving it to him without taking his money. "No charge." She told him with a smile. He looked too thin and sad for her liking, and was just glad he was eating. The woman was about to continue with her route when he spoke again.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, dearie." She replied.

William paused, trying to think of how to word the problem without giving too much away. "If you...If you had a choice between fixing an injustice or staying friends with someone, what would you choose?"

The woman paused thoughtfully. "Well, that depends entirely on the person and what the injustice is. Are you in some sort of trouble?" She asked, concerned.

"No," William lied and shook his head. "I'm not in trouble. Say the problem involved your family, and you were torn between that and your friend...Who would you choose?"

"We are told that family, blood," She clarified. "Is more important than friendships, but we choose our friends, not our family. You have to decide for yourself if your family is worth more to you than your friends, and then go on from there." The woman watched William's despondent face and added, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes," William answered. "I'm fine." He smiled meekly and held up the pastie. "Thank you for the treat."

"I'm sorry I could't be of more help." The woman apologized.

William shook his head and said, "No, you did help. Really." The woman nodded and turned her cart around to continue back up the train, leaving William to his thoughts.

**The Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom**

"So, we're in agreement?" Sam Winchester asked his brother, waving his hand at the book in front of him.

"Yeah, yeah," Dean nodded. "Next lesson will be on the Woman in White, we'll assign another essay, which I will then be forced to let you read and correct-"

"They have to have homework, Dean." Sam reminded him, rubbing his temples as he leaned back in his chair. "I know being here is fun and I love teaching, but teaching comes with responsibilities, like grading and essays."

Dean rolled his eyes at his brother's speech and glanced up at the clock on the wall. He took a deep breath and sighed; Still two more hours until dinner. "Okay," Dean conceded. "Essays are good, got it."

"Dean?" Sam asked after a minute of silence. He looked over at his brother and asked, "I want to try talking to that William Prang kid again."

"More chick flick moments?" Dean's joke fell short when he saw his brother's face. "Look, if they kid doesn't want to talk, he's not going to."

"I know," Sam nodded his head. "But I'm worried. Did you read his latest essay?"

Dean didn't even try lying. "No."

"That's because he didn't write one." Sam informed him as he dug through his papers to find the grades sheet. He kept meticulous records on attendance, assignments, and tests, as well as files for each student. The file for William was small and thin, like William himself. He stood up and retrieved the file. "He's turned in four things this year. Four." He reiterated, handing Dean the four assignments.

He took the papers and barely glanced at them before putting them on the desk. "Maybe he's just not very good at the whole school thing." Dean pointed out, thinking back to his own troubles when he was that age.

Sam picked the papers back up and shuffled through them until he came upon the only essay William turned in. "But get this," Sam gave Dean the essay. "His english and grammar is impeccable. College level." He insisted. "And yet he barely shows up to class and refuses to turn in assignments."

Dean read a few lines of the kid's essay and had to agree; William Prang was definitely smart. "So, what are you thinking?" Dean asked, giving the essay back to Sam for his records.

"I hate to say it," Sam put the file back in its place and sat down. "I think the kid is either being bullied or is having some serious family problems at home. I mean, have you ever seen him hang out with other kids?"

Dean shrugged. "To be honest, I haven't paid attention to him very much."

"The kid is like a ghost, blending into the background." Sam shook his head. "I don't know why, but there's something...Off about him."

"Off, like our kinda off?" Dean asked. "Or serial killer kinda off?"

"I don't know," Sam admitted, running his hands through his dark hair. "Just...Off."

**The Room of Requirement at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"You know that'll once you are able to fully transform, you'll have to register, right?" Lochan Dryagomir asked Siobhan, who looked dejected.

"Will I have to?" She whined as she sat on the desk behind her. Siobhan was having a hard time being in the same space as Lochan. Her heart was racing and she couldn't stop fidgeting as she tried to concentrate on their conversation.

"You and I have more responsibility than the normal Animagi." He explained, brushing a strand of blond hair out of his face. "People who have normal Animagus, like Professor McGonagall, can blend in. No one will notice a cat out walking about, but a dragon tends to catch people's attention. What if Wizards attacked you, thinking you were a rogue dragon?"

Siobhan sighed as she considered this. "Yeah," She agreed reluctantly. "Fine, whatever. I'll register."

"It's important that you do." Lochan nodded.

"Will my eyes ever go back?" Siobhan finally asked the question that had been occupying her mind since she walked into the room.

Lochan glanced down and honestly replied, "I don't know. Usually, when something goes...Wrong during a transformation, it's permanent. It's why becoming an Animagi is so difficult and dangerous. Some Witches and Wizards could only take on characteristics, both physical and mental, of their creature and couldn't change back or remove them. There was once a Wizard who turned partially into a fish because he was not careful."

Siobhan bounced her leg absentmindedly. "But I wasn't trying to turn. It just…" She shrugged. "Happened."

"But you had already started the process," Lochan reminded her. "Which is nearly impossible to stop once it's gotten as far as you have."

"Do you regret it?" Siobhan asked, pursing her lips. "Becoming an Animagi?"

Lochan smiled widely, the pink and white scars stretched tight across his face. "Not in the slightest."

**The Great Hall**

Adalena slid, uninvited, into the open spot across from William Prang. "Look, I don't know what's come between you and Fletch, because he won't tell me anything-"

"Because it's none of your business." William said shortly, taking a sip of water from his goblet.

"If it's got to do with Fletcher's unhappiness, it is my business." She sassed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't need the details, but you and him need to talk about whatever the bloody hell this is."

"Piss off." William glared at her, watching as Adalena narrowed her eyes right back at him.

After a minute or two of a stare down, Adalena sighed. "Fine, but whatever this is," She stood up and gestures broadly with her hands. "I hope its worth losing him as a friend." Adalena turned around and strolled back to sit next to Fletcher, who was ignoring William with great skill.

Meanwhile, Sam was watching the interaction the best he could while across the Great Hall. He took a bite of his food without looking at it, his eyes still trained on William. "See?" He whispered to his brother, who was shoving food in his mouth. "He's sitting alone. Again."

"Do you want to talk to the kid tomorrow?" Dean asked with a full mouth.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Yeah, I do."

**The Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom**

"Woman in White," Sam started, his voice projecting through the classroom. "Is a woman who committed suicide after murdering their children."

A hand jerked up in the air.

"Yes, Adalena?" Dean asked, recognizing the Slytherin girl.

"Why would you kill your children?" She asked, her dark eyes wide and doleful.

"Well, these women often had a relationship that didn't work out," Dean explained. "Like their husband cheated on them or left."

"So," Adalena said slowly. "They killed their children because a guy cheated on them?"

"We believe that it caused a temporary insanity." Sam said. "That it broke their hearts. So then when the women came out of it, they commited suicide and turned into a type of vengeful spirit. Now, these type of spirits usually wander around highways and rivers looking for their children."

Dean walked forward a little and continued, "They find people, especially men who cheat, and convince them to take them back home. There, they kill the person."

"Now, not all the men they take are cheaters." Sam said quickly, remembering his experience with the spirit. "The woman are always beautiful and they try to seduce the person, but if that doesn't work, they try to outright kill them."

"Have you guys fought one?" Tim Shouler asked from the third row.

"It was our first case once Sammy here got out of school." Dean nodded to his brother, who was scowling.

"Don't call me Sammy." He growled.

"Like the first episode?" A girl asked. "The Pilot? Isn't that where you two fought a Woman in White?"

Dean gave a huff of annoyance and pressed his lips together as he reached in his robes and withdrew a silver object. He raised the whistle to his lips and blew into it, the sharp sound cutting through the room. With the whistle still in his hand, he straightened his arm up in the air and looked up. "What are the rules again?"

The girl that asked the question glanced down. "Don't mention the books or TV show once we've crossed into the classroom." She answered in a monotone voice.

"Dean." Sam chaisted.

"School is about rules, Sammy." Dean said loudly. "I will not have this in my classroom."

"It's our classroom." Sam reminded his brother, with a "look".

"Not the point!" Dean said.

The class ended without another mention to the forbidden topics and Sam was quick to approach William W. Prang before he escaped.

"Hey, can we talk to you for a minute?" Sam asked the kid, who looked resigned as he followed the tall Professor to his office. "We've noticed that you have had some trouble with turning in your assignments lately."

"I've just had a lot going on." William said with his eyes downwards. "I'll try harder."

"Well, we're always here if you...Need us." Sam finished as William walked out of the classroom without a glance back.


	28. My Bloody Valentine

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"Ah, Angela," McGonagall stood up and smiled as Angela O'Cassidy swept in and sat down in the Headmistress' office. "How is your brother?"

"Still a bloody tosser." Angela answered dismissively. "Thomas doesn't write nor visit, I might as well not have a brother at all. He's still sore that I'm a witch and he's a Squib, so he plays those Wizard games on his computer."

"Hmmph" McGonagall smiled wryly.

"So, I have an idea." The Headmistress waved her hand, signaling the Charms Professor to continue. "I think we should make parchment that translates our lessons into words for Melody Jones."

McGonagall nodded, deep in thought. "How do you suggest we do that?"

"Well, I've been working on a charm for the past year that would take notes for her without an interpreter, since I know she doesn't get along with hers." Angela divulged. "It would make it so the parchment only picks up what the teachers are saying, not the students, so it's not a distraction."

"The charm?"

Angela smiled and pulled out a roll of plain parchment paper. She held it up and pointed her dragon heartstring wand at it before saying, "Magister Audio ut Chartam." Bright green sparks fell out of the tip of her wand and the parchment glowed gold. She handed the now fading parchment off to McGonagall. "It should record what the Professors say once they stated their subjects. For example, charms." The paper glowed again for a moment before the original color returned. "Charms add properties to an object without changing it into something completely different from what it started as."

The black ink started appearing on the parchment in Professor O'Cassidy's elegant script until it had fully recorded her words.

"What do you think?" The charms Professor asked with excited eyes.

"I think this is a wonderful idea." McGonagall said as she handed it back to Angela. "Not to mention a better use of your time than pulling hijinks on the new Professors."

"Pfft." Angela O'Cassidy turned around before rolling her eyes at the Headmistress. She was almost to the door when she glanced over her shoulder and called, "You know, I could totally market this and make a mint."

"No." McGonagall said, shaking her head.

Angela walked out the door with a smirk on her face. Well, She thought. It's MY idea...

**The Gryffindor Dormitories**

Fletcher's mind was in utter chaos, fighting an internal civil war. He was lying on his bed, staring into the dark red canopy. One side was arguing for William; How could he betray his friends trust? The other was arguing against William; How could he let his friend get hurt? They had been back at school for a month and he still wasn't speaking to his friend, but that doesn't give him permission to betray him. One day, Fletcher was dead-set on telling someone about TAVR. The next, he berated himself for wanting to break his confidentiality.

It was the first choice that had Fletcher walking up to Headmistress McGonagall in the hallway between classes. The anxiety was eating up at him as he stepped in front of her. He opened his mouth to speak but no words could come out. McGonagall looked at him with concern, tilting her head slightly to the side. Fletcher felt panicked as he snapped his mouth shut and quickly walked off.

Later that same day, Fletcher found himself pacing in front of McGonagall's office, his shoes lightly tap-tapping on the stone floor. He was just about to leave when the gargoyle statue leapt aside, revealing a staircase leading into the Headmistresses' Office.

The large, circular room was decorated in rich greens with books lining the walls. There was a dark wood desk in the middle, adorned with Sneak-o-Scopes and quills. McGonagall was standing at her desk, an expectant look on her face as she peered at Fletcher over her spectacles.

"That is the second time today." McGonagall informed him. "What is the matter?"

Fletcher took a deep breath and plunged ahead, "What would you do if your friend was in trouble? It's not me, it's about someone else." He added quickly.

"There are many kinds of trouble someone could have. I will need to know a bit more about your friend's predicament." McGonagall watched intently as Fletcher bit his lip, but stayed silent. McGonagall put her hands on her hips and asked, "Do I need Veritaserum?"

"No, Miss." Fletcher was quick to shake his head. "No, but say your friend is having trouble...At home."

"That still leaves a broad definition of trouble, dear." McGonagall said gently.

"Well, it's not really family trouble, just…" He paused, searching for the right words. "Like someone wants him to do something that I don't think he should. But how do I know if I'm wrong? What if I'm right? And how should I tell him? He got mad at me when I tried to help and I know for a fact that he doesn't really want to do this-"

"Mr. Kiliwahl," McGonagall's voice was somehow soft and stern at the same time, a warning hid between the words. "Is this a situation where your friend or others could be hurt?"

Fletcher considered his words carefully before saying, "I don't think so." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't know, and that's the problem! I just don't know what to do."

McGonagall sat down at her desk and motioned for him to sit across from her in a plush velvet chair. "Our instincts, Mr. Kiliwahl, tell us when something is wrong. One of the most important things to do is to trust your instincts. If they tell you something is wrong, you should listen to them."

Fletcher looked down and felt a chill run through him as he processed her words.

**The Charms Classroom, Hogwarts School of WItchcraft and Wizardry**

"Hello, Melody." Angela O'Cassidy waved the girl over upon seeing her enter the classroom.

Melody waved as she walked up to the Professor, showing off her dazzling white teeth in a smile. Her kinky curly hair was styled into two top knots on her head, pulling attention to her glowing, dark umber skin. Melody's translator was right behind her, a bored expression on his face.

"I have a gift for you." Angela said, watching the translator tell Melody what she said. Angela reached over to her desk drawers and withdrew the enchanted parchment. She handed it to Melody before saying, "Charms." The parchment glowed, surprising the girl. "The parchment will write whatever the Professor is saying in class, so you will not need your translator during classes." The parchment filled with her words and the girl's velvety black eyes widened before looking up at Angela with hope. She scrambled in her robe's pocket and fished out her notebook and pen. She was one of the few students allowed to have actual pens. This was so she could write easily without having to refill a quill and she preferred to write down her words rather than use the translator. Melody quickly scribbled her reply and showed it to the Professor. "This is mine?"

Angela nodded, a smile creeping on her face. "It will only work in your classes by your Professors." She warned the girl. "So don't bother trying to use it for gossip in class."

"I would never." Melody wrote in the notebook with a sly smile. She was famous for note passing during class.

"Does this mean I don't have to translate for her?" The unfriendly man asked Angela. "I don't fancy following a kid around anymore than I already have."

"Charms." She said, turning off the spell for the parchment so Melody couldn't see what she was about to retort. "Well, then maybe you shouldn't be a translator for Hogwarts anymore." The charms Professor couldn't help but say. "Charms." Angela reactivated the parchment and turned to Melody. "Would you like to keep him as your translator, or do you just want to use your notebook and this parchment?"

Melody bit her lip and broke into a smile as she wrote her response. "Bye." She showed it to the translator before flipping it around for the Professor to see. The translator huffed and turned around to leave the class. Melody looked up at Professor O'Cassidy before tapping her on the arm and gestured towards the man.

"Of course." Angela smiled and withdrew her wand. She flicked it in the direction of the sour translator, who jumped as the charms Professor cast the Bat-Bogey Hex on him.

**Valentine's Day Morning, The Slytherin Common Room**

The Slytherin common room was the least offensive to the senses, as far as decorations for the holiday goes. There were, of course, pink hearts and streamers randomly placed about, but it lacked the excessive over-doneness that the rest of the houses. When Siobhan woke up and finally went downstairs to the common room, she found Vincent in her favorite armchair. He had a mischievous smile on his face and a pink wrapped box in his hands.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" He said as he twirled the gift around.

"I see you broke the whole 'no gifts' rule." Siobhan nodded to the box.

Vincent looked at her with a smirk and asked, "Since when have either of us actually gone by that rule?"

Siobhan smiled, reaching into her robe for his gift. She tossed the small, red box to him before lounging on the couch next to the armchair. He handed her his box and they both tore into the presents. "A snuff box?" She asked as she ran her fingers over the silver Dragon and Niffler on the top. "Please tell me you didn't steal this."

"No," Vicent answered, as if the necklace around her neck and the book under her bed hadn't been stolen. "I bought the box, then carved and enchanted it so the Dragon and Niffler move around. It's so you can put your stolen necklace inside of it."

"Oh." Siobhan said eloquently. She opened the box and saw that the inside was lined with rich emerald green velvet. "It's beautiful."

"Is this...Is this a scale?" Vincent held up his gift, a leather necklace with a copper colored scale as a pendant.

Siobhan nodded, still inspecting her new box. "It's from a Peruvian Vipertooth. I understand if you don't want to wear it around-" She looked up to see Vincent already tying the necklace around his neck.

"Why wouldn't I want to?" He asked, obviously confused on why she would say such a thing.

"Well, I wasn't sure what to get you and not too many blokes would wear jewelry…" Siobhan's voice trailed off.

"I would wear a bright pink fuzzy hat with rabbit ears if you gave it to me." He said seriously.

Siobhan's eyebrows flew up and she smiled. "Really?" She asked, a plan already forming in her mind.

He met her eyes with fright. "Uh, no," Vincent shook his head. "No, I take that back."

"I'm joking." Siobhan assured him, unable to keep from laughing at his expression. "I wouldn't do that to you….Ok, I might do that..." Vincent raised one eyebrow and looked at her with distrust, so she put her hand up and said, "I solemnly swear."

"Speaking of solemnly swearing…" Vincent took out the Marauder's Map and waved it around. "Let's see who's spending Valentine's Day with where and with who." He sat down next to Siobhan, who had tucked up her legs on the couch. Vincent opened the map and said the incantation.

Vincent hummed as his pointed to a name on the Map. "The famous Terry MacCormack is just sitting in the Gryffindor common room? I would've expected him to be snogging every girl in sight."

"Nah, he usually spends Valentine's Day in groups and not with any specific girls or anything." Siobhan explained, having asked Terry the same thing last year. "That's why he throws the different parties each year."

"Has he told you what it's going to be?" Vincent asked, knowing that if Terry was going to tell anyone, it would be Siobhan. "Because the luau last year was wicked."

"The pig on the spit was a nice touch." Siobhan agreed, remembering the delicious feast. Terry had even handed out leis and taught them how to dance. "All I know is that he's holding it in the music room this year."

"I think my favorite was the rave." Vincent reminisced and Siobhan nodded in agreement. Terry's party had been in the Room of Requirement, which was decked out with disco balls and black lights. Everyone had been instructed to wear black and neon so the entire room was vibrantly glowing. "I still don't know how he got the Weird Sisters to come."

"My bracelet still glows." Siobhan told him with a laugh.

"Mine, too!"

**Valentine's Day Morning, The Gryffindor Common Room**

William W. Prang was restless on the couch by the fire, having been unable to fall asleep in his own bed. He vehemently despised Valentine's Day, seeing it as just another day for couples to spend money for each other in relationships that probably wouldn't work out. He had just dozed off when he was awoken by Terry MacCormack.

"Hey," Terry nudged him, a piece of parchment in his hands. "I need a headcount for tonight's party. You in?"

"Probably not." William said. He raised his arm to his mouth and fake coughed. "I think I'm sick."

"Feel better, then. Oh, and avoid the first floor corridor. Moaning Myrtle's flooded the bathroom again," Terry called before continuing his rounds to the other people in the common room.

William nodded and laid his head back down. His eyes had only just closed when he felt someone softly tapping his shoulder. "Terry, I told you I don't want to go to your bloody party-" William's eyes flew open and he stopped upon seeing that it wasn't Terry, but a girl.

"Sorry, I didn't think you were actually asleep." Melody quickly wrote on her notebook before showing it him. His face was red and whatever he had said was obviously unfriendly.

William's face softened when he realized it was Melody Jones. He took her notebook and wrote, "It's okay. I wasn't really asleep."

Melody smiled, glad he wasn't angry at her. She had spent the last week trying to not talk herself out of what she was going to do next. "Would you, maybe, want to go to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shoppe with me tonight for Valentine's Day?" She handed him the notebook and studied his face as he read it.

William pressed his lips together and gripped the pen tighter. "I can't. I'm sick." He handed it back and made sure to show her that he was fake coughing.

"Oh." Melody wrote as she tried to keep from being too upset. "Maybe another time then." She showed him the note then went back to the other side of the common room, doodling in her book. She was working on a drawing of a teary eye when someone came into her peripheral vision. Melody glanced up in surprise as Tim Shouler stood in front of her, waving.

He held his hands up and closed his eyes, concentrating as he tried to remember what he had looked up. Struggling through the hand gestures (and getting one or two wrong), Tim managed to ask Melody out for dinner that night.

She smiled and started signing back swiftly. Tim's eyes widened and he looked overwhelmed as her hands twisted together. Looking at his startled face, it dawned on Melody that he must have researched what he would need in order to ask her out, he did not actually know sign language. Still smiling, she flipped to a clean page in her notebook and wrote, "Yes!" In big letters. Tim sighed in relief and sat next to Melody, writing out the dinner plans with her.

**Third Floor Corridor, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"Shh!" Angela O'Cassidy held her finger up to her lips and nodded her head to the hallway. Peeves the Ghost, her partner in crime, was hiding across the corridor with a silver bucket in his transparent hands. She carefully peered around and caught sight of their target, Castiel walking alone. She snapped back in place and withdrew her wand, causing Peeves to get in position. Angela pointed her wand at the space just behind Castiel's back and silently cast a sticking charm. She nodded to Peeves, who flew out of his hiding spot and threw the contents of the bucket over Castiel.

Angela and Peeves laughed upon seeing how their prank had worked. The sticking charm had caused the lurid glittery pink paint to stick...to Castiel's wings, making them visible to everyone. Castiel stood there, shocked. He slowly turned his head to see his now bright, sparkly pink wings attached to his back. Castiel looked back up and noticed that both the charms Professor and the Ghost had disappeared. He ruffled his wings, then fluttered them, trying to shake the paint off, but they stubbornly stayed a vivid magenta hue. Frustrated, he marched to McGonagall's office, ignoring the laughs and whispers of students he passed.

"Huh." Siobhan said, her mouth slightly agape as Castiel passed them in the hallway with his new wings. "He actually is an Angel, isn't he?" She turned to Vincent, who was dying of laughter.

Castiel stood in the Headmistress' Office with a look of disappointment. He didn't even speak; Just stood there with his sparkly pink wings till she caught sight of him.

"Oh, I am so sorry dear," McGonagall said with pursed lips after attempting several spells for him. "But I will not be able to remove the paint without Professor O'Cassidy. She seems to have spelled your wings as well as the paint."

"How long until it fades?" Castiel asked.. His wings ruffled again, still trying to work off the offending spells and paint.

McGonagall shook her head, unable to tell how long he would have walk around with pink wings.

**The Great Hall**

All of the other teachers were already seated and eating when Castiel walked into the Great Hall. Dean looked up when the room grew eerily silent before waves of laughter rolled in. Castiel stood in front of Dean, who grinned and said, "Wow. Didn't know you'd be so festive for the holiday."

"What happened?" Sam asked with his hands out and his eyebrows raised.

Castiel frowned and silently pointed a finger to the other end of the table, where Peeves sat with Angela O'Cassidy. Both wiggled their fingers in a wave as Angela yelled, "Happy Valentine's Day!" Castiel begrudgingly sat down next to Dean, a scowl still on his face.

Sam's laughter died out when he caught sight of a pink and purple clad figure trailing scarves, walking towards the table. Sybill Trelawney strolled through the hall, a large pink box in her hands. She deposited it on the table in front Sam Winchester, her owl-like eyes set on him.

"Here Sybill," Dean said, now smiling broadly. "Why don't you sit next to Sammy. I'll move." He made to get up, but Trelawney just held out her hand and shook her head.

"I cannot. There is already twelve at the table." She explained, dramatically placing her hand on her forehead. "If I sit, it will make thirteen." Trelawney sighed and smiled at Sam before hurrying back to her tower.

Sam was staring down at the package with fear, as if the pink paper and large pink bows were going to attack him at any moment.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" Dean laughed, pointing down to the gift. Sam shook his head, his eyes not leaving the box. "Oh, come on man!"

Sam sighed and cautiously pulled off the bows and ripped off the paper. "A crystal ball?" Sam asked as he picked up the clear object and held it up for the table to see. After a moment, pink fog swirled around in it before showing a series of scenes that included Sam and Trelawney holding hands and snogging. The table erupted in laughter as he tossed the crystal ball behind it, but it just boomeranged back until it was sitting in front of him. Sam looked over at McGonagall, who was laughing along with the other teachers. "How can I make it not come back?"

"You're not getting rid of it that easily, Sammy." Dean's face looked as if he had been given a gift.

"Dude," Sam turned to his brother and said, "Not funny."

Dean clapped his brother on the shoulder, "Should've thought of that before you led her on!"

**11:59 PM, The Music Room at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Dean Winchester had received an interesting invitation to a Valentine's Day party; It told him to be at this room at midnight and to not tell anyone else. He was suspicious, but decided to check it out anyways...And he was glad he did. A heavy smell hit the Hunter just before he knocked three times (as the invitation instructed) on the door, which promptly opened. His eyes widened at the party as he walked in. The room was buzzing with students, all carrying red solo cups full of beer and paper plates holding large pizza. Terry, who had been playing beer pong, grabbed Dean a cup and filled it with beer before greeting him.

"Hey, glad you could make it." Terry said as he handed the beer off to Dean and clapped his shoulder. "We've got just about every kind of pizza over there," He pointed to the pizza station. "Beer pong, pool table, darts, and our bean bag throw. No betting with real money, all payments are in the form of beer. Have a great time, no barfing on the floor." He said before going back to the beer pong.

Dean drank some of his beer and made his way to the pool table, ready to hustle.

Across the room, Siobhan was trying to convince Vincent to try a piece of pizza. "Come on, it's not gonna kill you!" She waved the slice of pepperoni pizza at him.

"Oh, like I'm going to trust you and food after the brussel sprouts thing!" Vincent said, indignant. "Try it, it'll be great!" He mimicked. "It tasted like dirty socks, Siobhan."

Siobhan sighed and rolled her eyes. "It was a joke! Will you just let it go?" She took a sip of beer as Vincent begrudgingly took the pizza and nibbled on it.

His face changed completely; Vincent's dark eyes brightened and he quickly shoved the rest of the slice in his mouth. "Dis is so gud, Siah!" He said, his mouth full.

"Gross! Chew, swallow, then speak." Siobhan smiled as nudged his arm. "Come on, let's go try darts."

"Darts?" Vincent asked as he loaded up a paper plate with five slices of pepperoni pizza. "Those pointy things you throw at the circles?"

"Yeah," Siobhan agreed, smiling as she dragged him over to the dart board. "The pointy things."

Dean, upon winning his third game of pool, noticing a student sitting down to play piano in the back. He walked over and asked, "Do you take requests?"

The kid pulled out a stack of paper and gave them to Dean. "You can pick out of these, I've been practicing. We're going to do a sing-along type thing." Dean rustled through the music and handed his selection to the pianist. "Nice choice." He praised as he sat down and started playing.

Siobhan started humming along as she tried teaching Vincent how to play darts, but he was too engulfed in the miracle that is pizza.

"What chu singin'?" Vincent asked with a mouth full of food.

"You've never heard this song?" Siobhan asked in disbelief. Vincent shook his head. "It's 'November Rain' by Guns N' Roses."

"Nope." He said, shaking his head again. He smiled around his slice of pizza when Siobhan and several other Muggle-borns started singing along.

The other most popular songs of the night were, 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley and 'All You Need Is Love' by the Beatles.


	29. Changing Channels

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry- Muggle Religions and Their Theology**

Castiel looked in the mirror sadly, his eyes taking in the sight of his dyed wings. They had exhausted all of their ideas and tricks to dilute the color. Castiel tried to accept that fact and that he was going to have to listen to 'Angel of the Morning' every morning and night. The charm had gotten to the point where the Juice Newton song sounded warped and slow whenever he walked into the room, sometimes skipping or repeating lines. It had even become vexing to the children, since the novelty had worn off about a week after it was placed.

"What's up with the pink, glittery wings, Cassy?" A voice asked from the corner of the room. "You and Deano finally making a statement?"

Castiel's head slowly turned to look at the figure, his eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here, Gabriel?"

"Well, bro," Gabriel shrugged, a smirk on his face as he unwrapped a Fudge Fly and popped it in his mouth. "You, uh, seemed to have called me." He leaned closer and asked, "Were ya prayin'?"

Castiel sighed in frustration and defeat. "I am having a...Hard time."

Gabriel sat down lavishly in a chair and poshly crossed his legs. A plate of warm cookies appeared in his hand and he slowly ate one before saying, "Tell me 'bout it."

"Well, one of the Professors here...She's a Prankster, like you. And she's got-" Castiel paused, pressing his slightly chapped lips together. "She's better at it."

Gabriel's light eyebrows lifted. "Really?" He asked, blinking multiple times. "Tell me."

Castiel waved his hands around, gesturing to his obviously pink wings. "And when I walk into my classroom, it plays a song. 'Angel of the Morning.'"

Gabriel started laughing, clapping his hands together as he did. "That's fantastic!" When he could finally speak through the laughter, he asked, "What do the boys think? What does Dean think?"

"Well, he tried figuring out how to take the spell off and they told us it takes time." Castiel explained with a somber face. "It has to wear off-"

"No, no, no." Gabriel shook his head, his golden colored hair swinging slightly with the motion. "I didn't ask if you boys tried to get her to take it off." He popped another candy in his mouth and said, "I asked what you're thinking. Like, what are you gonna do about this?" He gestured to Castiel's obnoxious wings. "You're not just going to let this happen, are you? I mean, you're my brother."

Castiel blinked his dark blue eyes and stared at Gabriel. "Oh."

Gabriel smiled and stood up before dramatically stretching his arms up over his head. He rolled his shoulders and loudly cracked his knuckles before saying, "Let's go talk to the boys. I think they should be involved in this discussion."

**The Defense Against The Dark Arts Office**

Castiel opened the door leading into the boys office, only to come to a dead stop at seeing what lay inside. A large cauldron made of silvery plastic sat in front of the fireplace. Dean, dressed in a large, white robe cinched at his waist by a brown belt, was waving what looked like a large staff painted white over the cauldron. Sam was wearing the same outfit, but in a greyish-blue hue with a brown staff. Both were wearing tall, pointy hats made of felt and fake white beards that trailed down the front of their robes and hooked over their ears. Sam was bent over a large book, held up on a stand, reading intently. Off to the side was a broom with arms, patiently waiting for instruction. Both the book and the broom appeared to have an almost...Animated quality to it. Cartoonish. Sam looked up from the book and saw Castiel staring at them.

"What is happening in here?" Castiel asked as he stepped further into the room.

Dean's head jerked up, making the hat lean slightly to the left. "Ahh," He nodded slowly. "Castiel." He said grandly. "We know how to fix your wings. Give us a minute. We're working on it." Dean looked over at his brother and nodded. Both raised their staffs and began to chant:

_"Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo _

_ Put 'em together and what have you got _

_ Bibbidi-bobbidi (bibbidi-bobbidi-boo) _

_ mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo _

_ It'll do magic believe it or not _

_ (Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo)" _

"Oh." Castiel said shortly, "I see," blinking his eyes as sparks of gold glitter shot out of the top of the brother's staffs. "Gab-" He turned around to see that Gabriel had, not surprisingly, disappeared. "Dean, Sam." Both men stopped what they were doing (which was flipping pages in the book and adding random items into the cauldron) and turned their attention to Castiel. "I think...Gabriel...Might have...He thinks you haven't done enough to get back at Professor O'Cassidy, so he's trying-"

"Cas." Dean's voice was patronizing as he addressed his friend. "We're working on our spells, for you. This is important."

Sam continued his mission of searching through the animated book, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. The broom marched over to Sam and the book and appeared to be assisting in the "magic".

"We're going to work on your wings." Dean assured Castiel. "But right now, we have to eat so we can prepare for class, a good breakfast is the start to great day!" Dean and Sam strode out of the room, the broom sweeping past Castiel.

"This is gonna be a good one." Gabriel, now visible only to his brother, chuckled from the corner of the room. He had a bag of Honeydukes Treats in his hand and seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

"You have to fix this." Castiel insisted. "We teach here."

"Nah!" Gabriel winked at his brother and ate another sweet. "It's all good." He peered behind Castiel before nodding his head towards the doorway. "Better get goin' there. Wouldn't want you to miss breakfast."

Castiel begrudgingly followed Sam, Dean, and the animated broom down to the Great Hall. The noise and conversation in the spacious room died off instantly as Dean and Sam strut into the hall, their fake beards and hats swaying with the motion.

Vincent Cruz's eyes flicked from the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors to Siobhan Hesse, who appeared as if she was about to cry from laughing too hard. Various other students were laughing as well, including Terry MacCormack. "Siah?"

"They…..., they've got the worst Gandalf costumes I've ever seen!" She howled with laughter. "Like, ASDA-George bad."

"But why does the broom look like that?" Vincent asked, not sure why some people were so amused by the situation. "It almost looks….Fake."

"It's THE broom," Siobhan gasped, using her sleeve to wipe tears from her eyes. "Mickey's broom from 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice'!"

Katherine Reid, who had only arrived at the school that morning with Gryffin, turned to the Head of Ravenclaw and asked, "What did we miss?"

At the Head Table, McGonagall stood up, clearing her throat and silencing the laughter. "Oh, Professors?" She called to Sam, Dean, and Castiel, who were walking through the middle of the hall. "Professors, might I have a word with you? In my office?"

Sam paused, causing the cartoon broom to tap his leg. "Alright," He sighed. "But we really need to eat and prep for class."

"Oh I assure you gentlemen, this will not take long." McGonagall said as the boys and the broom started to follow her. "You too, Castiel." McGonagall nodded slowly and led them up to her office, her face twitching as the broom filed in behind the group. "Sit down." She directed, gesturing to the chairs in her office.

"We really don't have time." Sam insisted. "We've got to prep for class."

McGonagall waved her hand, making the chairs fly up behind the boys and knock into the back of their knees as they were forced down into the seats. She carefully walked behind her desk and sat down, pressing her hands together as if in prayer. "Why? Why is it always you three?"

Castiel mumbled, his eyes trained on the floor like a scorned child. Sam and Dean looked absolutely dumbfounded as to why they were in the principal's office.

"Professor, if you need us to help you with something, I assure you, we're working on it." Sam told her.

"We're working on Cas' wings." Dean shared, motioning to the pink Angel's wings. "We're going to have this by the end of the day."

"Have what exactly?" McGonagall asked with pursed lips. "What are you going to have?"

"The glitter." Dean whispered, as if it was a secret. "We're going to get the pink and the glitter off and the music. All of it will be gone by the end of today."

"We're working on it in between classes," Sam assured her. "It's definitely happening today."

"And how?" McGonagall asked, her eyes flicking to Castiel. He was still looking down at the ground, his lips pressed together. "How is this going to happen?"

"We've got this new spell lined up. We just need to get the right tempo, the right emphasis, and the right syllables. It's very tricky." Sam readjusted his felt hat importantly.

"We're almost there." Dean said, nodding in agreement. The broom seemed to nod as well at this statement and McGonagall could only rub her temples.

"Really? May I hear a bit of it? You may use your...," McGonagall waved her hand at the boy's obviously fake staffs. "Wands if you need be."

Sam and Dean gave each other a knowing look and nodded. They stood up and raised their staffs before singing:

_"Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo _

_ Put 'em together and what have you got _

_ Bibbidi-bobbidi (bibbidi-bobbidi-boo) _

_ mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo _

_ It'll do magic believe it or not _

_ (Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo)" _

The animated broom was marching around the room, swinging its arms as poofs of glitter sparked from the tips of the staffs.

Sam looked frustrated at the small amount of glitter and said, "But we have to get it just right."

McGonagall sat back and slowly blinked twice before turning to Castiel. "Professor. What do you make of this?"

"I think my brother is doing it...Because the pranks being pulled on me haven't stopped." Castiel admitted. "So now, to get this to stop, they have to 'step up to the plate'."

McGonagall glanced over at the two brothers, who were deep in conversation with the broom about the spell and the correct annunciation. "Are they aware of that?"

"This is how my brother works. They have to figure it out themselves." Castiel sighed, shaking his head. "It's never immediate."

"And how long will this last? I don't see how I can have them teaching students...Like that." She nodded to Sam gently tapping the tip of his staff on her desk. A spark of glitter fell from the top and both the boys and the broom became visibly excited. "Is that...Glitter?"

"They think it's magic." Castiel reported sadly.

"I see." McGonagall said slowly. "Uh, Boys? Boys?" She tried getting their attention, but they seemed to be very involved in their work.

"Well, what do you think about our spell?" Sam asked as he looked up at her.

Dean smiled proudly. "It's gonna work, right?"

"I am quite sure it will." McGonagall shot Castiel the 'look'. "Have you heard that Castiel's brother is visiting?"

"Oh. He has a lot of brothers." Dean said quietly. "We don't talk about that."

"We don't want to make him uncomfortable because he has a lot of family issues." Sam pressed his lips together and nodded slowly.

"I see. And what exactly are your plans for today?" McGonagall asked, her voice slightly exasperated.

Sam looked at her as if she was stupid. "Well, we're going to go to class-"

"Take care of class." Dean added.

"Yeah, take care of class, then we're going to work on this in between classes." Sam explained.

"I think I would rather you work on this," McGonagall waved to their broom and staffs. "Until you get this just right. And maybe not teach today. I can get you a substitute and you can spend the entire day working on this."

Castiel's eyes drifted to the corner of the room where Gabriel sat, obviously visible to only him. Gabriel slowly shook his head, a triumphant smile on his face. Castiel looked pained.

"Castiel?" McGonagall asked, commanding his attention. "May I help you?"

"They have to go to class." Castiel said very quietly, defeat lacing his voice. "They have to teach like this."

"Why?" McGonagall asked.

Castiel glanced over at Gabriel before answering, "He said so."

McGonagall smacked her lips and sighed. "I see. Well, this will be an interesting day. Boys," Both looked up at her. "You may...Continue with your spell work. And have a, a lovely day. If you need me, just let me know. We'll take care of this."

Both boys walked out of the room, the broom marching closely behind, still discussing "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo".

McGonagall looked at Castiel and asked, "What precisely is the broom?"

Castiel, his eyes still on the ground, said, "It is a Disney thing that I saw on the Netflix, I'm sorry." He stood up and turned to leave. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, Castiel," McGonagall called after him. "I think I would like a word with your brother." When everyone cleared out of the room, McGonagall rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers. "This was supposed to be an easy year." She sighed.

The two brothers (and their animated broom) strutted through the hallway to their classroom. They passed by Angela O'Cassidy, whose eyes widened in shock at the sight. She burst into laughter and turned to Peeves the Ghost. "I didn't even have to do it! This prank isn't even mine!"

Peeve's shadowy head tilted at the figure reflected in the glass protecting a portrait. The reflection had shaggy, bronze hair and a mischievous smirk on his face as he watched the Professors. Peeves glanced at Angela and pointed to the intruder, but it was obvious that she couldn't see the reflection.

Dean grandly threw open the door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, ignoring the hushed giggling of the students already seated.

"Sorry for being late, class," Sam said as he and his brother walked up to the front. "But today, we will be talking about something more...Historical than what we usually discuss."

"But this is still a very important lesson and should be useful to everyone." Dean assured them as he rolled out an old fashioned chalkboard. He grabbed a piece of white chalk and drew a slightly-wobbly oval, followed by a second one on the inside.

Siobhan, who was sitting in the back with Vincent, had to bite her lip to keep from laughing too hard.

Vincent turned his head to look at his mate, whose normally pale face was turning pink. "You bit your lip again." He whispered as he tapped his lip before pointing his finger at hers. Her hand flew up to her mouth and Vincent watched as a current rippled over her hand. The scales only lasted for a moment before clearing.

"Thanks." She mumbled as she wiped the small amount of blood off her lips. Siobhan focused her attention back at the front of the class.

The Professors had written, "The One Ring" over Dean's crude drawing. "This," Sam tapped the chalkboard with his plastic staff. "Is the most powerful artifact from Middle Earth. It was created with most of Sauron's soul bound to it, to give it more power over the other Rings."

"Sauron wanted to use this Ring to rule Middle Earth." Dean paused, confused at to why some of the Muggle borns were giggling. "Now, this isn't the only Ring. There were three Rings given to the Elven Kings, seven for the Dwarf Lords, and nine given to Mortal Men. These men would become Wraiths after falling to the Ring's power." Dean looked hard at the giggling students as though the obvious seriousness of his words would bring them to attention.

"The nineteen Rings were less powerful than Sauron's One Ring and were somehow tied to it." Sam lectured. "When put on, the Rings can make you invisible to those not wearing a Ring, but you will be visible to Wraiths. The more you handle and wear the Rings, the easier they can find you and Sauron can poison your mind-" Sam's speech was cut short by the end of class bell. "Okay, since we were late, you guys are going to have to do some research yourself. I expect you all to have read 'The Hobbit' and the first 'Lord of the Rings' book by the next class. We will be comparing them in a class discussion, " He said loudly as the students began gathering their belongings. "So make sure you complete the reading."

The room cleared out and Dean began to look through the spellbook again. "Okay, you ready to practice the spell?"

Sam nodded and they started to chant, "Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-"

"Boo! Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!" A third voice chimed in.

Sam, Dean, and the broom, turned to look at the other person in shock.

"Oh, sorry." Alexandria Taurus brushed a lock of dark blonde hair behind her ear. "I just loved 'Cinderella' as a kid." She was standing in the open doorway of the office with an armful of books.

"What?" Dean asked, his eyebrows drawn together.

"Oh, I, uh, was wondering if you had any extra readings on Tricksters? With April 1st coming up…" Her voice trailed off.

"Uh, no." Sam shook his head slowly. "We've assigned all of the material we have on Tricksters already."

"Oh, okay." Alexandria nodded and turned to leave. "Oh, and nice beards!" She called over her shoulders before exiting the classroom.

"Beards?" Dean looked at his brother, who appeared just as confused as he felt.

Sam shrugged and they continued their 'spell work'. After an unsuccessful attempt to conjure the correct spell, Sam flipped through the pages of their book, shaking his head. "We need this 'magic golden flower'," He turned the book around for his brother to see the drawing of a plant that resembled a daylily. "It says once it's ground up, it's magical properties can be used to 'make the clock reverse'."

"And you think it will go back to when Cas' wings weren't pink." Dean finished. He nodded and absentmindedly stroked his faux-beard. "I like it."

"Let's talk to Longbottom."

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-Greenhouse One, Herbology**

Neville Longbottom was tending to his various plants in greenhouse one when the two Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors flew into the room, an animated broom marching diligently behind them. Neville's head tilted at the sight of them, having not witnessed their entrance at breakfast. "Can, I, uh," The Herbology Professor blinked rapidly. "Can I help you?"

"We need this," Dean said as his brother showed Neville the picture of the 'magic golden flower' from their book. "To make Cas' wings normal again."

"Uh," Neville's eyes flicked between the two before resting back on the drawing. "I don't believe I've got that…"

"Professor," Sam tried. "It's a magical flower. You've got to have it somewhere." He gestured to the various plants and greenery in the room.

"There's even a song." Dean pointed at a caption in the book. He nodded at his brother and they started to sing (off-key):

_ "Flower, gleam and glow _

_ Let your power shine _

_ Make the clock reverse _

_Bring back what once was mine _

_ Heal what has been hurt _

_ Change the Fates' design _

_ Save what has been lost _

_ Bring back what once was mine _

_ What once was mine" _

With the final line, a burst of yellow-gold glitter erupted from the hunter's plastic staffs. Neville's eyes widened even more and his mouth was slightly agape.

"So, do you have it or not?" Dean demanded, his patience running thin.

Neville appeared dumbfounded as he silently walked over to a small container holding plain yellow day-lillies. He clipped off one strand of the ornamental, non-magical flower and silently enchanted it to glow before handing it off to the brothers. "Be careful." Neville warned as the two brothers and the broom swept out of the room.

All three hurried down the halls, eager to try the new spells to help their friend. They passed by Ms. Norris, Filch's beloved cat, who was staring intently at a silver suit of armor. What the brothers did not see was that Gabriel was reflected in the suit, a slight smile on his face.

"Hey, these beards are really itchy." Dean scratched his face as they entered their office.

"It moves funny." Sam complained. He set down the flower and retrieved a mortar and pestle to grind the ingredient.

"Really weird."

The door to their study opened and Castiel walked in.

"Cas! We have it this time." Dean ushered the Angel in. "This flower will fix your wings."

Castiel peered behind Dean to see Sam carefully grinding the plant into a paste. "Dean, I do not think-"

"Shh." Dean admonished, patting Castiel gently. "We need to concentrate." His brother handed him the bowl to scrape into the plastic cauldron, which was bubbling steadily. He crossed the room for a comically large spoon, the broom following loyally behind. Dean paused and slowly turned his head. "Dude, I think we're being followed." He said in a hushed voice.

"Is that a cartoon broom...Marching?" Sam asked. Castiel just shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. The object went rigid before dropping to the ground, now just a normal broom with no animated features. "Anyways, the spell."

"Right, the spell." Dean and Sam gathered around the cauldron and raised their plastic staffs.

_ "Flower, gleam and glow _

_ Let your power shine _

_ Make the clock reverse _

_Bring back what once was mine _

_ Heal what has been hurt _

_ Change the Fates' design _

_ Save what has been lost _

_ Bring back what once was mine _

_ What once was mine" _

Both brothers stiffened (much like the broom) before looking around, as if they weren't sure where they were.

Sam patted the front of his cheaply made robe with furrowed eyebrows. "What happened to my shirt?"

"Dude, why am I wearing a dress?" Dean asked as he tried to take off the garment, which was stubbornly staying in place.

"Hello, Deano." Gabriel greeted from across the room. He was leaning against the wall with a box of 'Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans' in his hand.

"Gabriel." Sam acknowledged in a flat voice, his mind replaying the months he spent watching his brother die, courtesy of the Trickster.

"Should've known." Dean grumbled.

"Yeah, you should've." Gabriel agreed. He snapped his fingers, removing the robes so both hunters were in their own clothes. The plastic cauldron and staffs disappeared as well. "How you gonna let my brother be done up like that," He waved his hand towards his brother's pink wings. "And you do nothing? How come you haven't gone after her?" He demanded.

"She has magic!" Sam reminded him.

Dean added, "And now we just look stupid." He turned to Castiel and asked, "Were we like this the whole day?" When the Angel remanded silent and slightly abashed, Dean continued. "The whole day, Cas?! We left the room? People saw us?!" He rolled his eyes in annoyance and angrily ripped the faux-beard off.

"Yeah, you did." Gabriel confirmed. "Because you're letting my brother be clowned like that. Just because she has magic and you don't, doesn't mean she understands human." He pointed out before popping a candy in his mouth. "Look at all the things humans have that these wizards think are magic. Fix. It." He raised his fingers and snapped them with the intent of zapping out of the room. The action failed, to all of their shock. "What the-"

McGonagall stepped seemingly out of nowhere. "That would be me. You." She addressed the Archangel. "Gabriel, is it?" He slowly nodded his head, his eyebrows drawn together. "Come with me." She Apparrated them both to her office, leaving Castiel looking appalled.


	30. The Hunter Games

**The Defense Against the Dark Arts Office- Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry **

"So, everyone got it?" Dean asked with a very serious face. "We can't afford to have any problems. One wrong move and she's onto us."

"Got it." Siobhan looked to Vincent for confirmation. "We'll do the clothes and the cups of water."

"I've got the Post-it notes, the salt, and the saw." Sam nodded to the metal instrument on their desk.

"Post-it notes?" Vincent mouthed to Siobhan.

"I'll explain later." She promised.

"Which leaves me with," Dean looked down at the paper in his hands. "The cushion, the Saran Wrap, and the bed." He made eye contact with this brother before saying, "Man, I wish we had watches to synchronize."

"No, but time is important." Sam stressed to the young pranksters. "We need to have all of this down before breakfast is over, preferably with enough time for all of us to sneak into the Great Hall."

"It won't take us long." Vincent promised, tucking his wand into his robes.

Siobhan's eyebrows drew together and she asked, "What if she's got protection spells?" Her mind ran wild with the kind of complicated charms that could be waiting for intruders.

Sam and Dean turned to look at each other. "Uh…"

"We'll improvise." Vincent said.

"Here," Siobhan held open a small bag. "Put everything in here." When both brothers seemed dubious about the large objects fitting in the tiny bag, she explained, "There's an extension charm. Unless you fancy walking around with a saw tucked in your pants."

Sam and Dean looked at each other before depositing the tools into the small pouch. They all walked out of the office, with Siobhan and Vincent lagging behind. "If she's got charms and wards against humans, I'll transform to get in."

"Oh, don't brag." Siobhan hissed, still upset at the reminder of what had happened the other day. They had discovered that Vincent could now fully transform into a Niffler without problems, whereas Siobhan was still having difficulty. She could conjure the Patronus effortlessly, but still failed in the transformation.

"Yours'll come along." He tried to reassure her.

"Yeah, I know." Siobhan sighed as they joined the two Professors at the door to the Charms classroom. She withdrew her wand, but Vincent held his hand out to stop her.

"I got it." Vincent pointed his wand at the door and whispered, "Alohomora Duo." The door clicked and flew open. He looked down at Siobhan and explained, "It's a stronger version of Alohomora. She's too smart for the original spell to work."

"Magic." Dean smiled as they crept into the Charms classroom. Siobhan opened the bag and started to distribute the objects around to their owners. "Good luck, guys."

They seperated off to complete their jobs. Siobhan and Vincent rushed to Angela O'Cassidy's private bedroom and unlocked it. They went straight for the bureau and yanked open the drawers before pulling out all of the clothes. Siobhan and Vincent exchanged mischievous smiles. "Diminuendo." They muttered in unison. All of the clothes on the floor started to shrink until they were small enough to fit a child.

Meanwhile, Dean was placing whoopie cushions under every surface possible as Sam carefully covered the Charms Professor's desk with bright yellow Post-it notes. Siobhan and Vincent used magic to fold and replace the clothes in the exact drawers they came from. The two students came out of the bedroom to see Sam switching out the container of sugar on the desk with one filled with salt. Dean took a pair of scissors and started to cut the sheet on her bed so it was too short to cover the mattress. He then remade the bed so it was less noticeable. Sam carefully sawed off exactly one inch from one leg of every chair in the classroom, with Siobhan and Vincent's help.

Siobhan turned her back from the brothers and pulled out the Marauder's Map. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." She whispered as she pointed her wand at the parchment. The black ink filled in on the page and she searched for Angela O'Cassidy. It showed that the Professor was sitting at the Head Table in the Great Hall, to Siobhan's relief. "Mischief managed." The ink disappeared and she tucked the map safely away. "We gotta hurry, Professors."

"Yeah, yeah, we're almost done." Dean confirmed. All three filed out of the room and looked at Siobhan expectantly.

She pulled out several containers of red Solo cups and set them on the ground. "Terry gave them to me." Siobhan explained.

"Are we going to have to worry about him?" Sam asked.

"Nah," Dean shook his head. "He's cool."

With a wave of her wand, the cups scattered around the room until they were neatly sitting in rows on the floor and the desks. Vincent cast a charm to fill every single cup with water so full that the slightest bump could cause them to overflow. As the final 'Hurrah', Dean wrapped the door frame with Saran-Wrap and shut the door.

"Okay, you two go into the Great Hall first," Sam told Siobhan and Vincent. "And we'll come in a couple minutes later so it's not as suspicious."

"Pleasure pranking with you two." Siobhan bowed her head at the brothers before she and Vincent walked to the Great Hall.

**The Defense Against the Darks Arts Classroom**

"Okay, everyone," Siobhan and Terry started handing out the props. "Everyone put something on. Quick!"

The students marched into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, all dawning fake white beards, felt hats, and plastic staffs. They took their seats without a word and waited for the Professors to come out of their office.


	31. The Road So Far

**"Carry on my Wayward Son, for there'll be peace when you are gone"**

"It appears we have a letter from our dear William Prang." Morphinus Mutar announced, a white envelope clutched in his hands.

"Hand it over." Mors Mangrove, the leader of TAVR, demanded from his position at head of the table. Morphinus crossed the dark room, nearly bumping into one of the Deartháirs.

"Watch where you're going-"

"Save it, brother." Sic Ventus warned him. A sinister smile crossed his face as he said, "Soon, there will be plenty of young blood to spill."

** "Lay your weary head to rest" **

Sam Winchester followed his brother Dean into the Herbology classroom, a plant in his large hand. "Here," Sam set the flower down on Neville Longbottom's desk with a sheepish smile. "As a replacement for the one from the other day."

"You didn't have to." Neville said as he examined the daylily.

"We smashed the one you gave us." Dean reported, his eyes cast down. "Castiel's brother did this thing, it's like a spell-"

"I heard." Neville pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. "McGonagall explained everything."

"Gabriel's a Trickster. He thought it was hilarious." Sam said.

"It was funny. Especially the hats." Neville placed the plant somewhere where it would get plenty of sunlight. "Oh, did you two take any Mandrake leaves from one of the green houses?"

"No." Dean shook his head.

"I don't even know what a Mandrake is." Sam admitted.

"Oh, okay. I'll have to see if any of the students know something, then."

**"Don't you cry no more"**

_ "Dear TAVR,_

_ I've made up my mind, once and for all. I think it's time for the Wizarding World to understand and accept Vampires..." _

** "Once I rose above the noise and confusion" **

Castiel paused the show as the credits rolled and said, "Now, I hope all of you have completed the questions I provided on the Djinn." He walked to the front of the room in the Three Broomsticks and looked upon his class of eager and bright students. "Who would like to discuss the final question: Do you think there was anyway to prepare for the attack, why or why not?" Every single student raised their hand proudly, so Castiel pointed to the Hufflepuff in the front row. "Jamie?"

The sixth year stood up with the paper in her hands. "I don't think there is anyway to prepare for this kind of attack until it's too late."

**"Just to get a glimpse beyond the illusion"**

"I will assist you and the members of TAVR in any way possible. My sister has to be allowed in Hogwarts for the next year..."

**"I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high"**

"So, how come he can change but I can't?" Siobhan waved her hand at Vincent, who had already turned into a Niffler. He was scurrying around the Room of Requirement, collecting shiny things to drop at Siobhan's feet.

"He turns into a creature the size of my forearm." Lochan Dryagomir pointed out as he crossed his arms over his broad chest and leaned back against the wall. "Dragons are quite a bit larger than that."

"But what if I can't do it?" Siobhan asked quietly. "What if all I'll ever be stuck with are these eyes and my weird scaly skin thing?"

"You will," Lochan assured her. "You just need to stay focused and motivated."

"Hard to not be motivated with your best friend can change at will." Siobhan muttered under her breath.

**"Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man"**

"I have fixed the Vanishing Cabinet to its original perfection. It sits in the Room of Requirement for your use..."

**"Though my mind could think I still was a mad man"**

Shah Barr was sitting next to Terry MacCormack, discussing the upcoming Quidditch game. He took a bite of pudding and waved his spoon around to make his point. A barn owl flew over the student's head, surprising everyone in the Great Hall. The mail had already come that morning and Shah was not expecting any letters. The owl dropped the red envelope beside Shah's plate and continued its path to the Owlery. Shah looked down at the envelope, suspicion written on his face.

"Open it." Terry nodded down to the letter.

Shah pressed his lips together and reached a shaky hand to grasp the envelope. He didn't have to open it, however, for it sprang to life the moment his finger touched the paper.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WERE SNOGGING ROSE ABBOT IN THE NORTH STAIRWELL! IT'S OVER, SHAH! OVER!" The Howler screeched. "I HOPE YOU GET DRAGON POX, YOU WANKER!"

A girl from the Hufflepuff table rose to her feet. "WHO'S THAT FROM, SHAH?! YOU TOLD ME THAT I WAS THE ONLY ONE!"

Shah Barr stood up quickly, his face petrified. "Uhh…"

Another girl with pale blonde hair and hazel eyes yelled at the girl, "WHO THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU?!"

At the Slytherin table, a pretty girl crossed her arms over her chest. A smug smile crept onto her face as Shah Barr ran from the Great Hall.

"He's like a mini you." Sam said to Dean as they watched the event from the Head Table.

**"I hear the voices when I'm dreamin', I can hear them say"**

"I wait for your orders." Mors finished reading William's letter aloud and surveyed the TAVR meeting room.

**"Carry on my wayward son"**

"Everyone," Terry said loudly. "Make sure you study for my final!" Groans echoed through the Gryffindor Common Room at the mention of another test. "Remember, if you don't pass this test with at least an 'A' for acceptable, you will not be permitted to take my class next year."

"You think you're ready for Terry's final?" Siobhan whispered to Vincent.

"I've got the Wizarding Manhattan down, but my White Russian is always too strong." Vincent reported sadly as he twirled one of Siobhan's vibrant red curls around his finger.

"It shouldn't be too bad as long as you get most of them right." Siobhan rubbed his shoulder sympathetically. "Besides, Terry never knocks off points if the drink is too strong."

"Yeah, I just want to make sure I'm in his class next year. Hey," Vincent glanced at Terry to make sure he couldn't hear what he was about to say. "What do you think his party will be?"

"I don't know." Siobhan admitted. "But it'll be our final year, it's bound to be wicked."

**"For there'll be peace when you are done"**

"Yeah, her mum and dad are taking care of J.D. until after finals." Gryffin kissed Katherine on the cheek.

"We were wondering if it'd be okay for us to take some time off for a year or so." Katherine brushed aside a purple-red strand of hair from her face. "Just until he's a bit older."

"Of course." McGonagall said kindly. "You may take as much time as you please."

"He's a Metamorphmagus," Gryffin beamed proudly. "He's already been every color of the rainbow." He showed McGonagall a picture of a small baby with the same hair color that Katherine had now.

"He favors you." McGonagall said to the mother.

**"Lay your weary head to rest" **

Angela smiled just before she repeated the incantation. She had made several copies of the translating parchment that she created for Melody Jones and planned to show them to potential buyers. Most thought that she was doing it just for the money, which was not entirely true. She was also doing it to help people through what she knew best: Charms.

**"Don't you cry no more"**

Melody manipulated Tim Shouler's hand until it made the correct sign. She grabbed her trusty notebook and wrote down, "Owl."

"Owl. Got it." Tim nodded and smiled. He took the pen from her and wrote down, "I have a surprise for you." He bent down and retrieved his pack before withdrawing a pair of cardstock rectangles. Tim handed them to Melody, who raised her dark eyebrows. "They're tickets for us to see a Muggle film in the cinema." He turned the paper to her with a large, hopeful smile.

Melody wrote, "It's not very entertaining to watch a film in silence."

"There's no sound! It's called 'A Quiet Place' and it's all in sign language with subtitles." Tim hurried to write. "It's a horror film where sound attracts the monsters, so everyone uses sign language to talk. I figured you don't get to see films in the cinema very often."

Melody's face brightened and threw her arms around Tim's neck.

**"Masquerading as a man with a reason"**

William lay in bed, his mind reeling over the letter he had sent. His mind was made up. He would commit himself to do whatever he could to help his sister. He owed her that.

**"My charade is the event of the season"**

"And with this," Mors held up William's note. "With this, we can start the final phase in what the books shall call 'The Second Battle of Hogwarts'! We attack at sundown tomorrow."

"What about the children?" Faeryn Nobletonic asked, her voice cutting through the celebratory cheers. Everyone in the room turned to look at the scribe, their eyes boring into her. "Surely we're not going to attack innocent children-"

Mors Mangrove stood up and raised his wand to her. "Avada Kedavra!"

Faeyrn's body stiffened from the green light, then fell to the floor. The man sitting next to her took in a sharp breath as he looked down at the dead body on the ground.

"There is no mercy in war." Mors said cooly.

**"Surely heaven waits for you"**

Adalena sighed in frustration. "It's no use! I'm going to fail."

"You're not going to fail." Fletcher tried to reassure her, but judging from her practice test, the outcome did not look good. "We just need to practice more."

"Who cares about Troll rebellions and Vampire uprisings?!" Adalena complained. "It happened years and years and years ago!"

"It's just a test. It won't determine the rest of your life." Fletcher closed the history book and rubbed his forehead. "We both need some sleep. We'll work some more tomorrow."

"Are we working in the Room of Requirement?" Adalena asked with a sly smile.

"Well, it is a nice place for some peace and quiet."

**"Carry on my wayward son**

**For there'll be peace when you are done**

**Lay your weary head to rest**

**Don't you cry no more"**


	32. All Hell Breaks Loose, Part I

_"With time, the child draws in...This whipping boys done wrong. Deprived of all his thoughts, the young man struggles on and on. He's known, a vow unto his own. That never from this day, his will they'll take away...So I dubbed 'the Unforgiven'"_

Adalena giggled and grasped Fletcher's hand tightly as they ran down the hallway together towards the Room of Requirement.

**The Gryffindor Common Room, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

_"We arrive tonight." _

William slid his finger over the letters on the parchment, his hands shaking as the adrenaline coursed through his veins. He tucked the note into his robes and ran into the Gryffindor dormitory, only to find it empty. "Oh, bloody hell." He whispered to himself. He went back to the common room and approached Terry MacCormack and the pretty young girl he was flirting with; Terry always knew where everyone was. "Hey, have you seen Fletch?" William asked breathlessly, willing himself to sound casual.

Terry laughed and said, "Him and Adalena are studying in you-know-where." He raised his eyebrows suggestively and turned back to the girl.

William took off out the door, startling the fat lady, and nearly flew down the moving staircases until he reached the fifth floor and the Room of Requirement. He cautiously opened the door to the darkened room and saw Fletcher and Adalena locked together, partially hidden. "Fletch!" He hissed, "Fletch!"

He turned to look at William, who darted towards him. A sound echoed through the room and Fletcher found himself being yanked behind a large bookcase just as an odd black wardrobe started shaking. The doors to the Vanishing Cabinet opened and a dark haired woman with glowing skin cautiously stepped out. A wicked smile crossed her face as another intruder came through the cabinet.

"Who are you?" Adalena screeched in shock, in plain view of both TAVR members.

William laced his arm around Fletcher's torso and covered his mouth with his trembling hand, keeping him anchored out of sight.

Bellator Tenebrae raised her wand and a green flash of light erupted from the tip. Adalena took in a sharp intake of breath as the Killing Curse hit her body and she fell to the floor, her body void of life.

William fought to hold his friend and keep him quiet as Bellator strolled over to Adalena's body and laughed. She bent down and appeared as if she was going to poke the corpse when Mors Mangone cleared his throat. "Don't play with dead things, Bella." The woman's eyes darted down and she backed away from the body, obviously abashed. "We have live things to deal with on this night."

Both TAVR members confidently strolled out of the Room of Requirement, past the unseen boys hidden in the shadows. William let his arms fall free of Fletcher and watched his friend run to his Adalena's fallen body. "No, no, no." He touched his girlfriend's face softly, tears beginning to fall as he brushed aside her mahogany hair.

"Fletcher…"

"This is all your fault, isn't it?" Fletcher raged, still cradling her body. "This is about that TVR or TAR group you got involved with!"

William shook his head as tears pricked at his eyes. "You don't understand. This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Yeah?" Fletcher carefully placed Adalena's body back on the floor before standing up and turning to face his friend. "But it did. Adalena," His hollow voice cracked and he looked down at her helplessly. "She's gone now. She had nothing to do with any of this!" He yelled, shoving William back. "She's dead, William!"

"I know." William whispered. "I know, and now, now I'm going to make it right."

** The Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry **

Siobhan and Vincent were lounging in her favorite armchair, the Marauder's Map splayed in front of them.

"Let's see who Terry's entertaining…" Vincent said before pointing his wand at the Map. The ink filled in, but it wasn't Terry's hijinks with the opposite sex that stole their attention.

"Hey, look!" Siobhan jabbed her finger at the map, where 'Adalena Ajkeel' and 'Fletcher Kiliwahl' were rushing towards the fifth floor corridor.

"Must be their makeout room." Vincent kissed Siobhan's cheek.

"I think it's everyone's makeout room." Siobhan reminded him with a sly smile.

A banner marked 'William Prang' ran to where Adalena and Fletcher disappeared before vanishing himself.

Siobhan and Vincent looked at each other. "Huh."

The Map showed no activity for a moment before two names popped up. "Bellator Tenebrae and Mors Mangone?" Siobhan read, her eyebrows drawn together. "Who the-" They watched as William and Fletcher ran from the corridor, but Adalena failed to reappear.

"Something's wrong." The hair on Vincent's arm stood up and he shook his head.

"I feel it, too." Siobhan took a deep breath and studied the Map. "Who's closest we can tell?"

"The Winchesters."

"Let's go, now. Mischief managed." Siobhan folded up the Map and stored it somewhere safe before both kids drew their wands and ran to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

Siobhan and Vincent banged on the door until Sam opened it, his brother just behind him. Before either kid could explain, a high-pitched scream rang through the hallway.

"Get down! Get in here!" Dean grabbed ahold of the front of each kid's shirts and yanked them into the classroom. Sam had already begun stacking multiple chairs to wedge the door shut.

"What's going on? Do you know who or what is out there?" Sam demanded as the boys went to the sizeable chest that held their weapons cache. Dean opened it up, taking inventory of their collection.

Vincent shook his head, eyes wide and Siobhan said, "We, uh, we don't know. We just saw that there were these people we don't know, where they shouldn't be and-"

Dean met his brother's eyes. "We'll bring it all." He started to load and distribute the guns and knives. "Maybe not holy water, though...Hey, can you kids fight with the wands or do you need weapons?"

"We don't know what to do with those." She pointed to the gun in Sam's hands.

"Okay," Dean nodded and tucked a machete in his belt. "Stay here. Keep the door shut unless you know for sure it's a kid."

"Don't even open it for us." Sam added as he added a knife to his collection.

Siobhan and Vincent mutely nodded their heads, their eyes wide with fear as more and more screams could be heard throughout the castle.

The brothers started for the door when Sam put his arm on Dean's shoulder. "Cas."

Dean, weapons in hand, closed his eyes and prayed, "CAS! JEFFERSON STARSHIPS ARE ATTACKING THE CASTLE! JEFFERSON STARSHIPS! HELP THE KIDS!" He paused, "He's always listening, we're good." They moved the chairs and left the room. "YOU LOCK THIS DOOR!" Dean yelled to Siobhan and Vincent as they took off.

"You think they'll stay in there?" Sam asked Dean as they ran down the hallway.

"Not a chance in hell," Dean shook his head. "But we can't stop them and we need to find out what this is."  
—-

Neville Longbottom turned to McGonagall, his face solemn and grey as the screaming echoed. "I've got to alert the Army." He dug in his pockets before withdrawing a coin marked 'Dumbledore's Army'. "We're going to need all the help we can get."  
—-  
McGonagall nodded curtly, her thin lips pressed together. Her hand tightened around her wand as she pressed the tip to her neck. "Hogwarts is under attack by outsiders!" Her voice rang through the castle, waking up young students and warning others. "Arm and protect yourselves."  
—-  
A silvery-blue figure emerged in the middle of the Ministry lobby, the smoke forming into a tabby cat. The Patronus opened its mouth and said, "Hogwarts is under attack. Apparition allowed."  
—-  
Hermione Granger felt an oddly warm sensation coming from a pocket in her suit jacket. She withdrew her old 'Dumbledore's Army' coin and saw that it was glowing. She turned to her secretary, Mafalda Hopkirk, and said, "I need all available Aurors to Hogwarts, immediately. The school is under attack."  
—-  
Mafalda Apparated out of the office, leaving Hermione with her thoughts. She fidgeted in frustration, tapping her nails on the wood desk. I can't leave the Ministry unattended if there is an attack...I'll keep Ron with me, since Ginny and Harry are on maternity leave...Neville is already at the school, which means Luna will go to him…  
—-  
George Weasley was showing Hugo Granger-Weasley one of his new joke prototypes when his coin began heating up. He fished it out and held it in his hand, staring down at the small object with horror and fear. He looked up at Molly Weasley, who was standing still as a statue, terror written all over her face.

"ARTHUR!" Molly yelled, picking up one of the children. Her husband rushed into the room to see his son holding up the coin.

The light in his eyes faded as the blood drained from his face. "I'll have to go to the Ministry." Molly nodded and Arthur kissed his wife's cheek before Apparating.

George tucked the coin back in his pocket before his eyes fell on the enchanted grandfather clock. The hand with Siobhan's face had moved from 'school' to 'mortal peril'. A phantom pain flowed through his head, resting near the ear that had been cursed off years before. "Siobhan."

"Bring her home, Georgie." Molly said in a wavering voice.

He nodded and Aparated to the school.  
—-  
Bill Weasley kissed his wife goodbye. Fleur clutched at his shirt and begged softly, "Do you 'ave to go? Surely zey do not need you."

He kissed her again before bending down to kiss the top of his daughter's head. "It's not a choice. I will come back." Bill promised.  
—-  
Charlie Weasley had just finished bandaging up a burn on his leg and was relaxing by a fire. His eyes had shut and he felt himself drifting off when the room bathed in silver mist. A dragon Patronus flew in and stared him in the eyes before announcing, "Hogwarts is under attack. Apparition allowed." Lochan's Patronus bowed its head low before flying away. Charlie leapt to his feet, wand out, ready.  
—-  
Sam and Dean Winchester ran out toward the courtyard, guns drawn but held low. Suddenly, there was a loud crack that sent both boys stumbling against the wall. Dean yelled, "SHIT!" He looked around wildly. "Winky, get out of here! Go hide somewhere safe!" Sam and Dean started to pick up their pace again, with Winky trotting alongside.

"No sir, Winky must keep her Master Dean safe. Elves is strong, we is going fight!"

With another crack, the boys were alone again in the corridor. Dean whispered, "Winky…"

The small House Elf was gone, off to protect her master, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Katherine Reid sprinted up to the brothers, her purple hair pulled up in a bun and her face paler than paper. Her wand was drawn as her eyes surveyed the area for the intruders. "We've got reinforcements coming in, but they're surrounding most of the school. Some are already inside and we've got teachers escorting children to safe places."

A figure emerged from the moonlight. His hair was so blond that it was almost white and his skin had a bluish tint. His lips drew back in a feral snarl to reveal long, incredibly sharp fangs.

"Vampires, Sammy!" Dean yelled as he holstered his gun and drew his machete. Katherine raised her wand and flicked it, pinning the Vampire down with an invisible force. Dean swung the machete and quickly decapitated him in a swift, practised motion.

"Uh, Dean?!"

He turned his head to see an army of Vampires running towards the school. There was a loud resounding thud beside Dean and he saw Castiel land in a crouching position, his wings splayed out. He raised his head, eyes focused on the advancing attack as twin Angel blades slid from each sleeve of his trenchcoat into his hands.  
—-  
William W. Prang ran as fast as he could to the front of the school, pushing his way past frightened students going the other way. He was sure that if he could just talk to Mors Mangone, he could deescalate the situation and no one else would get hurt. As he entered the courtyard, he saw most of the teachers taking defensive positions against the approaching army.

He charged through the teacher's line into the space where the Vampires were closing in. Katherine tried to spell the army, but multiple vampires had produced shielding charms to protect themselves. Mors Mangone stopped and held up his hand, bringing his large army to a halt. "Ahh, William. Come to join alongside us?"

William shook his head. "This wasn't what was supposed to happen. I trusted you!" He yelled, his voice hurt.

"Well then," Mors smirked, obviously entertained at the child's ignorance. "You can't exactly blame ME, can you? You broke the spell, you fixed the Cabinet. You let us in. It was your mistake."

He saw the Vampire's eyes slide around the teacher's line before coming to rest on the strongest threat. Mors was reaching into his cloak and William knew what he had to do. The person that Mors attention was fixated on was the Angel, Castiel. The Angel met the vampire's gaze, the ancient winged warrior calm and focused. The moment the blade left Mors' hand, William stepped in front of Castiel. The knife plunged into William's head, killing him instantly.

With that knife, the Second Battle of Hogwarts had begun.


	33. All Hell Breaks Loose, Part II

_"Lay beside me, under wicked skies...Through the black of day, dark of night, we share this paralyzed...Come lay beside me, this won't hurt, I swear...She loves me still, but she'll never love again...What I've felt, what I've known, sick and tired, I stand alone…_

_She lay beside me, but she'll be there when I'm gone…_

_And you're Unforgiven, too."_  
—-

Siobhan tapped her foot anxiously as they waited into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Her eyes met Vincent's as more and more screams could be heard. After less than five minutes, both reached a breaking point.

"Are we really going to stay in here?" Vincent asked with raised eyebrows.

Siobhan was already starting to move the chairs when she said, "Not a bloody chance in hell."  
—-  
The Gryffindor Common Room was in utter chaos. Students were helping others to safety, while some were gearing up to fight.

A seventh year frantically looked around the room, trying to catch a glimpse of her little brother. She saw the first year slip away and head towards the door. "Oh, no you don't." She said as she grabbed the back of his shirt. She dragged him over to Tim Shoulder and asked, "Are you fighting?"

"I was going to take some kids down to the dungeons-"

"Good." The girl dropped her brother in front of Tim and growled, "You are now personally responsible for my brother. He gets hurt, I will hex you in such a severe way that you will wish that you were dead. Understood?"

Tim Shoulder nodded and the girl ran off, leaving a pouting first year behind. Tim rubbed the back of his neck nervously before climbing on a chair so he was visible to everyone in the room. "I NEED ALL FIRST AND SECOND YEARS TO LISTEN TO ME VERY CAREFULLY! MOVE TO THAT CORNER," He pointed to a spot on his left. "AND I WILL ESCORT YOU DOWN TO THE SLYTHERIN DUNGEONS SO YOU WILL BE SAFE!" A growing group of frightened students formed as Tim had commanded. He was about to leave with them when Desmond Woodsvine ran up, waving his hands.

"Oi! Wait! Wait!" He stopped in front of them, his wand drawn. "Someone said that they're all Vampiahs."

Tim blinked as he waited for Desmond to elaborate. "...Okay?"

Desmond pointed his wand at one of the first year's neck and red smoke erupted from the tip, curling around the child's throat. "It'll make it so they can't bite their necks." Tim appeared taken aback, having not considered this type of protective magic. Desmond quickly charmed the rest of the young students necks before sending them off.

"EVERYONE WHO'S GOING TO FIGHT," Terry MacCormack yelled, drawing a crowd to him. "GRAB MY STASH. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER CLASS, ONLY THIS TIME," He smiled and grandly announced, "I'M TEACHING YOU GUYS THE ART OF THE MOLOTOV COCKTAIL!"  
—-  
Melody Jones was confused, to say the least. Everyone had been laughing and playing a Muggle game that someone had brought when Siobhan and Vincent rushed out of the Dungeon. She didn't find that very unusual; Those two were always running places and doing odd things, like placing leaves in their mouths and reading an old piece of parchment that only had visible lettering when they said something to it. She decided that it wasn't worth much thought; If Siobhan and Vincent wanted to try to be Nifflers and Dragons, it wasn't any of her business.

She was innocently relaxing until everyone suddenly appeared scared and panicked. Melody looked around, trying to decipher why it looked like everyone was yelling. She tried to get someone to pause long enough to write to tell her what was going on, but no one stopped. No one was paying her any attention. Someone shoved Melody aside and she almost dropped her pen as she staggered back.

Finally in frustration and fear, Melody grabbed Rose Abbot's arm and shoved her notebook at the girl. Rose looked startled but quickly scribbled something in it before handing it back and leaving the Dungeon. Melody looked down at the page, her eyes wide and scared to see, "Vampires broke into school. Everyone is fighting or hiding. Be careful." She stood straight up and starting grabbing the youngest students.

John Louex already had his wand out when he approached Melody. "Are you okay staying here with them while I get other kids and bring them down here?" He wrote.

Melody nodded and watched as John ran off, and she silently vowed to keep the children safe.  
—-  
Tim Shouler rounded up the young students as he made the dangerous trek through the school. There was one place that had the most strategic advantage to defend them and he knew who was perfect for the job. He hexed any Vampires that came within sight and managed to get the children to the entrance of the Slytherin dungeon.

"CHOOSE WISELY!" Tim yelled. "CHOOSE WISELY!" The path opened and he ushered all the students into the hall leading down to the common room. He stuck his head into the dungeon to see that Melody had already gathered up all of the young Slytherins against the wall so they were easier to protect. He quickly hugged her as the Gryffindors joined the Slytherins to begin helping each other calm down. Melody breathed a sigh of relief into Tim's neck and she clutched the front of his robes tighter.

"Mel." He murmured as he gently eased her off of him. Tim grabbed her notebook and scribbled, "I've got to get the rest of the kids. Protect them. I'll send red sparks from my wand before coming down the hallway. Do not let me in until you see them."

Melody nodded enthusiastically. "John is getting kids, too," She wrote. "And bringing them back here."

"I will try to find him and tell him to send out green sparks. Red for me, green for him." Tim hugged her and ran his hand over her hair. Using his other hand, he managed to jot down, "Everything will be fine. I promise." He kissed her cheek before running out of the room.

Melody turned around and looked at the scared children. Her hands twitched nervously as her eyes flirted around the dungeon. A student waved his hand at her to get her attention before he started signing. Melody breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that she could use him to communicate easier, then she began signing back.

"She says to remain calm." The boy translated. "She is going to stand near the entrance to make sure no one bad comes in." He quickly signed for her to be careful.

Melody stood in front of the entrance to the dungeons, her wand out and ready to use.  
—-  
In the courtyard Fletcher watched as a silver dagger flipped through the air, aimed for his best friend. "WILL!" His anguished scream was lost before it even left his mouth. He felt grounded to the spot. The blades that the Angel had out in his hands suddenly disappeared as he hurried to catch William. All Fletcher could do was watch in horror.  
—-  
Sam ducked as a broom zoomed through the air, its rider nowhere in sight. He allowed himself a moment to watch as it pulled itself beside Gryffin so he could leap on and fly. I do love magic, Sam thought as he snapped back into the fight.

Dean couldn't allow himself to be distracted by things like flying broomsticks. He was focused entirely on the fight as he worked tirelessly to protect the scattered children running to safety. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small figure bolt across the way and it took him a moment to realise it was a small House-elf. The being raised its hand to a Vampire that was posed to attack Katherine and a flash of green erupted from its palm. The Vampire flopped through the air and landed on its neck with a loud snap.

Katherine glanced behind her at the House-elf and yelled, "Thanks!"

The Elf kindly nodded his head once before disappearing again.

The Transfiguration Professor looked to the skies in search of her partner, who had taken to an aerial defense. She pointed her wand at a Vampire and cast, "Lumos Solem!" A bright light seeped from her wand and the Vampire fell to its knees from the pain. One of the Winchesters swooped in and quickly beheaded the creature before continuing their job.

A dark haired man with striking green eyes sauntered through the courtyard as some would walk through a garden. He felt complete indifference to his fallen comrades and seemed to grow in strength from the children's terror. His calculating eyes scanned the surroundings, trying to assess who he would destroy. The Angel would have to be last; He was too guarded, too different. The next most obvious threats were the two tall human men in plaid shirts and leather jackets. They wielded machetes and swords with a practised ease and precision. Mors Mangrove could almost smell the dried Vampire blood that had accumulated in the crooks and crannies of the weapons over the many years of use. The tallest one was working alongside the Shifter, a small woman who seemed more comfortable spelling the targets rather than completing the kill herself. Mors thought of this as lazy and disdainful and most of all, weak. When he was done with the slightly shorter male, he would kill her in front of the tall fighter. He felt like this would ensure the most psychological damage before he drained the man's body.

Mors withdrew his wand from his sleeve and tested it by flicking it at a tall, gangly student. The teen froze, giving the Vampire he was fighting time to wrap her hands around his head and plunge her fangs into his throat. The edges of Mor's grey lips turn upwards slightly. He turned back to where the man with short, dark hair stood with his back against a wall as three other Vampires stalked closer. If Mors wasn't so disgusted by humans, perhaps he would have praised the man's determination, perhaps even considered him for recruitment; Although outnumbered, the Hunter was stubbornly still fighting, showing no fear.

Mors locked eyes with one of the Vampires and nodded once. That Vampire, in turn, looked to the others and smiled. Following their leader, all four hissed, "Stupify."

Dean closed his eyes, expecting whatever spell pointed at him to hurt. He knew by now that he had no defense against their magic. His eyes flew open when he heard the loud crack sound of Winky Apparating. He looked down and saw that his tiny House-elf friend had appeared at the exact moment that the stunning spells had been cast, and all four had hit her.  
—-  
"Okay guys, you lace the rope down the bottleneck, no, not too far," He nagged. "We need it to be enough in to soak the liquor up and enough out to make a wick for us to light," Terry demonstrated for the students how to light the bottle. "And then we throw it at the nearest Vamp."

There was a chorus of "oohs" and "ahhs" as the students started picking up bottles.

Terry faced his second in command and said, "Use Geminio to make more supplies so we aren't running back. Keep it going. I'm going to walk around and enchant the bottles so they go further and only hit those things with no heartbeats."

Shah Barr nodded once and ran off. Terry turned to Phillip Telle, who had his broom already in his hands.

"I guess all that time as a Chaser is about to come in handy." Phillip joked lightly as adrenaline coursed through his veins. He jogged up a flight of stairs to get a better view of the battle happening below. His methodical, almost military-esque way of thinking took over and he started plotting his course. The courtyard was where most of the fights were taking place, but it appeared as if most of the teachers were defending that section. Phillip looked to the left and decided that his best defense position would be patrolling the area between the main courtyard and where Terry was holding his impromptu fire bomb class. He heard light footsteps stop beside him and glanced over to see a familiar head of dirty blonde curls.

Phillip Telle leaned over to the nervous fourth year and whispered, "This is easily a hundred times scarier than the new Pennywise."

The boy, set to start his first year of Terry's drinking classes at the next term, couldn't help but grin. Phillip Telle was an idol to him, and the fifth year knew it. Hell, everyone knew it. Terry often teased Phillip about the boy and even John Louex had started calling the kid 'Phil's other boyfriend'.

The boy tried to think of something clever to say as he stared at the dark haired man with adoring eyes. He finally settled on, "This is scarier than the old Pennywise, too."

Phillip clapped his hand on the boy's shoulder before he turned away from the view of the various fights. "I'm going to get on my broom and drop the cocktails on the Vampires. Another student will replicate the supplies, but can you make me the cocktails? I'll take an armful at a time."

The boy nodded. "I can do that." This statement became his silent mantra as he worked on preparing the bottles while his idol flew off the edge.

—-  
"Terry!"

Siobhan and Vincent ran to their friend and the three quickly hugged. "What's happening?"

"Vampires are everywhere. I'm teaching them how to make Molotov cocktails." He nodded his assembly line of workers. "Want to help drop them on the undead?"

"You had me at cocktail." Vincent said as he grabbed one of the bottles without a wick and took a gulp.

Terry snatched the bottle back and said, "This is for Vamp burning," He handed it back to a student before producing a different bottle. "This is for friends." The three took quick drinks and hugged one last time before going opposite ways.  
—-  
Vampires advanced through the courtyard, travelling in the shadows to evade attacks. Sic Ventus was one of these shadow-bound creatures. He only strayed when a target was close enough that he merely had to reach over to plunge his knife into their body. Mors did not know, but Sic and Brutus had a personal vendetta to complete. Neither Deartháir knew exactly why they had such a deeply rooted hatred of Minerva McGonagall, and neither really cared. Maybe it was for the status, the ability to flaunt that they were able to kill such an indestructible witch. Either way, both were searching seperate sides of the castle for the Headmistress. He was momentarily distracted by the the group of children surrounded by bottles. He watched as younger students made Molotov cocktails and elder ones flew off to disperse them. In the middle of the commotion was a teenager with the aura of someone in charge, someone who looked as if he had a bright red target painted on his back. The teen strolled over confidently to a girl with vibrant red hair and a spray of freckles across her cheeks. They were deep in conversation, giving the Deartháir a perfect opportunity to attack.

Sic Ventus pulled out his knife as he crept behind Terry MacCormack. In one fluid motion, he twisted Terry's neck as the blade sliced through the Quidditch Seeker's skin. Siobhan watched in horror as one of her best friends slid down to the ground, his eyes still open in shock and one hand still clutching an unlit bottle. Sic wiped the blood off his knife before tucking it into his belt. The Deartháir turned his head and kicked Terry's lifeless body aside as he stepped closer to Siobhan.

"Confringo!" Siobhan shouted, pointing her wand at him. A tear escaped from the corner of her eye as she tried to keep her focus on her friend's murderer rather than at the body by his feet.

He smirked as he flicked his wand, easily deflecting Siobhan's fire spell. "Such a child." Sic sneered. "You'll have to do better than that...Crucio!"

Siobhan saw a flash of red, then she couldn't see anything at all. She could hear a scream cutting through the air as every nerve in her body felt as if it was lit on fire.

The haircurling scream caught Sam Winchester's attention and he looked up to see a man pointing a wand at Siobhan Hesse. Her face was contorted in agony as her body shook violently. Sam did the only thing he knew he could; He took a running start before tackling the Deartháir to the ground. He punched Sic in the face and was gearing up to hit him again when the scream changed.

Both Sam and Sic looked over where the scream had became a roar and saw Siobhan's body contorting, the air surrounding her pulsing. Her skin flashed and rolled as it changed to scales; Her fiery red hair slicked back into horns as her teeth elongated and sharpened. The spot where Siobhan Hesse once stood was now a large Peruvian Vipertooth dragon...And she did not appear friendly.

Sam jumped up and backed away from Sic Ventus, his eyes wide and his hands held up. The Dragon focused her steely gaze solely on Sic Ventus as she lunged, sinking her teeth into his neck. The Deartháir clutched desperately at his throat as the poison made its way into his bloodstream. Before the poison exacted its slow and painful revenge, the Dragon took a step back and breathed fire, incinerating Sic Ventus. The knife used to kill Terry melted and scorched until it was unrecognizable.

Siobhan stepped in front of Sam and blew fire at the Vampires surrounding them. The bodies continued burning after she stopped her attack and the air was filled with an ungodly smell. She turned her head to stare at a very shocked Sam, who tentatively held his thumbs up.

"We cool?" He asked. Siobhan slowly nodded her head and Sam ran out from the area to rejoin the fight.  
—-  
Dean Winchester dropped to one knee and held the House-elf Winky in his arms.

"Is Master Dean okay?"

"Goddamn it, Winky, why did you have to go do that?" Dean asked her. He had flashbacks of holding his brother's lifeless body and anger flowed through him until the Hunter was shaking with fury, his eyes glinting with tears. He carefully laid Winky back down, held his blade out and faced the four Vampires. One of the smaller, less experienced Vampires flinched at the look in Dean's eyes and the way his hand gripped the machete's hilt hard enough to whiten his knuckles. It was the last thought that young Vampire had before Dean ripped her to shreds.  
—-  
Lochan's head turned when he heard Siobhan's bellow and he watched her soar through the air. Even the Vampires he was fighting paused to marvel at the beautiful beast. The realization hit Lochan and he laughed as he cast a defensive spell.

"What?" George Weasley asked over the noise of the battle.

"That Dragon's Siobhan Hease!" Lochan called over his shoulder. He used her distraction to slice through a Vampire's neck until it slid off the body.

George's eyes widened as he processed this. "That's Siobhan?"

"Yeah," With a flick of his wrist, Lohan killed another attacker. "I've got to find Charlie and tell him it's an Animagus, so he doesn't hurt her."

"If I see him, I'll tell him, too."

Lochan nodded and made his way through the duels, halting momentarily as Dean Winchester viciously tore apart the man who had thrown the dagger that killed WIlliam Prang. His eyes flicked down to the peaceful-looking body of Winky and he ran as hard as he could to reach her. Lochan kneeled down and pressed his fingers to the House-elf's neck and breathed a sigh of relief. "Rennervate."

The spell curled around Winky's face and her large eyes slowly opened.

"Winchester!" Lochan yelled. He got to his feet and put his hand on Dean's flannel-clad shoulder. He had to quickly duck when Dean swung his blade. "Dean," Lochan held the Hunter's shoulders. "Winky's alright, she'll be fine."

"Winky's what?" Dean's breathing was heavy and his words slightly slurred.

"House-elfs are tougher than humans." Lochan said quickly. "She'll be fine."

Dean nodded and used his sleeve to wipe some blood off his face.

"Have you seen Charlie Weasley?" Lochan asked.

"No idea who that is." Dean admitted.

"Red hair, tall," Lochan shook his head. "Nevermind. That Dragon," He pointed at the flash of graceful orange and red scales rippling through the night sky. "Is a student. Don't hurt her."

"Dragon is a student." Dean repeated as he geared up to continued the fight. "Okay, got it."

"Be careful." Lochan warned.

"You, too." Dean called as the Professor jogged off in search of the tall, red headed Wizard.

Lochan found him just inside the Forbidden Forest, helping Hagrid corral various creatures to safety. "Charlie! Don't attack the Dragon."

"Wait, what?" Charlie asked with furrowed brows. "What Dragon?"

Lochan grabbed his friend by the arm and brought him out of the tree line so he could see the open sky.

Charlie paused, taking in the sight of the creature. "Geez, that's a Peruvian Vipertooth!"

"That's Siobhan Hesse."

Charlie's head snapped to look at Lochan, who was smiling. Slowly, he said, "I thought you were the only one with a Dragon Animagus."

"I'll explain it later." Lochan promised as they watched the graceful Dragon circle down and land. Both raced towards Siobhan.

"Siah!" Vincent yelled from across the courtyard. She bit another Vampire before slithering over to him. Siobhan hunkered down so he could hop on her back. He hugged her neck and yelled, "YOUR HEART WAS THE BEST THING I EVER STOLE!"

Siobhan bellowed and Vincent could almost hear her human laugh in it. She flapped her wings and took off into the sky. It was the same exhilarating feeling she got when she was on a broom, only a hundred times more intense. Vincent fought to hold on as a group of Vampires raised their wands. The spells bounced off her thick skin and Siobhan circled around before blowing a quick spurt of fire at them. A flash of blue light hit Vincent and he lost his grip on Siobhan's neck before falling down to the ground.

George took in the sight of Lochan and his brother and was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. He had just gotten to them when he heard a male scream. They watched as Vincent's body tumbled through the air and both George and Charlie cast at the same time.

"Arresto Momentum!"

"Protego!"

Vincent's falling form slowed until he landed on the ground. George was the first to get to him, while Lochan and Charlie had taken to fending off and destroying the Vampires responsible.

Siobhan flew low to the ground as her horns retracted and sprung into fiery curls. She was back into Human form astonishing fast, but this was the last thing in her mind. She didn't care that her bones ached and her throat burned and her skin was scuffed and scraped. She cared about fighting through the crowd to get to George and the very still body of Vincent Cruz.  
—-  
A Hufflepuff stepped over crumbled rocks, trying to find other students to help. She saw Pam Mayes, a first year Ravenclaw, cowering against the wall as a Vampire stalked closer. The Hufflepuff ran towards them, her wand raised. "Locomotor Mortis!"

The leg-binding spell missed and the Vampire continued its path to the first year.

The Hufflepuff pressed her lips together and ground her teeth before she cast. Her eyes were cool and her face emotionless as she said, "Avada Kedavra."

This spell hit its intended target and the Vampire fell to the ground, dead from the Unforgivable curse. Pam Mayes eyes widened at what she had just witnessed and her breathing grew rapid. The Hufflepuff did not look much better; She was just staring at the dead Vampire, in utter shock of what she had just done. She had, of course, read about the Unforgivable Curses in books, but found it much different in real life. In the books, it describes the spell as difficult and tasking. In real life, the Hufflepuff found it easy to cast the spell. It was the after-shock that was difficult.

Her mind was so preoccupied that all she could focus on was the unmoving body. The last thing she saw a flash of white out of the corner to her eye just before the Hufflepuff was killed. Pam scrambled to her feet and ran in the opposite direction, her eyes burning with tears.  
—-  
Melody Jones stood in front of the dungeon's entrance, carefully watching the two corridors that emptied out into the atrium she was guarding. Green sparks bounced off the stone walls, signaling that Tim had returned with more students. As they were coming down the hallway, Melody saw a shadow inching on her right. She whipped around and cast a non-verbal spell at the intruder. He clutched at his throat as the air was sucked from his lungs and with a flick of her wand, his back smashed against the wall. His lifeless body slumped to the floor as Melody turned around and opened the door for Tim and the students.  
—-  
Siobhan just barely touched Vincent's hair with a shaky hand, as if she was afraid that the action would cause him to break into a million pieces. A tear escaped from Siobhan's reptilian eyes and landed on Vincent's cheek.

"Don't you cry tonight," Vincent mumbled, his eyes still closed. "I still love you baby."

Siobhan started laughing hysterically, relieved to hear his voice. "Are you singing a 'Guns N' Roses' song?"

Vincent smiled weakly as his eyes fluttered open. "I finally listened to that disk you gave me."

"When?" Siobhan asked.

"Last year. I didn't want you to know how much I liked it." Vincent admitted with a cheeky grin.  
—-  
Angela O'Cassidy was crouched in a nook, almost completely hidden from the battle going on. She waved her wand over the next set of rocks for Peeves to drop over the Vampires. She thought her back was covered since she was so nearly surrounded by stone, but it wasn't.

Brutus crept up behind her, being careful to remain unseen. His foot gently crunched a leaf and Angela immediately stood to face him. A spell cut through the air.

Peeves dropped the last of the bewitched rocks over a Vampire's head, leaving her incapacitated so someone could behead her. He turned and saw Angela fall to the stone floor as her attacker ran off through the throng of combatants. Peeves flew to her at an unbelievable speed and crouched hovering by her body. He opened his mouth and a bone-chilling wail came out as he mourned the death of his last best friend.

Castiel plunged one of the Angel blades into a Vampire's head and pulled it out swiftly. When his arm drew back, the pink glitter paint covering his wings fell off, making them invisible again, and the faltering notes of music fell silent. But he was so intent on the battle, he didn't notice the change.  
—-  
Trelawney looked down from her tower and quickly caught sight of Sam, who was fighting off a hoard of Vampires. "My Sam!" She breathed. "Accio!" Crystal balls flew through the air and out the window. She aimed for the Vampire's heads, careful to not hit Sam. He appeared quite baffled as both crystal balls and vampires started dropping like flies around him.  
—-  
No one was really sure how or when the Second Battle of Hogwarts came to a close. Maybe it was the addition of the flocks of Witches and Wizards arriving from the Ministry. Or maybe it was when the remaining TAVR members saw the very human Dean Winchester violently tear apart their leader; perhaps it was the dwindling amount of Vampires staying to fight.

Whyever the reason, the Battle was over but it was not the end of the fighting that had caused the battle to begin. As students and teachers looked around, their eyes took in the sight of bodies and gore littering the castle grounds. The injured survivors gathered in the Great Hall, the depressing sight of the less-injured helping patch up the worst. News of the dead flitted through the air as some cried and wailed, while others became despondent. There were no Houses; no banter of Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, no colors worn proudly for distinction. No one cared about which House they were in, they just prayed that their friends and families were whole.

Siobhan sat next to Vincent as Jeremy Gaunt fitted him with a shoulder sling. Katherine Reid and Gryffin Hamal were bruised up, but otherwise uninjured. Dean Winchester was, much to the a student's fascination, sewing up a cut on his brothers shoulder like it was normal. Ellen Ripley was helping bandage Dwayne Hicks face; He had severe acid-like burns covering the entire side of his face. Melody Jones was resting her head on Tim Shouler's chest as they sat with their backs against the cool stone wall. They watched as a seventh year girl reunited with her little brother. She hugged her brother desperately as she tried to ignore the shooting pain from a deep gash in her thigh. Rose Abbot lay motionless on a cot, her face troubled even in sleep as Madame Pomfrey tended to her broken body. John Louex and Phillip Telle were sitting very close to each other as John murmured in his partner's ear.

Lochan and McGonagall made rounds through the room, checking on the survivors. Someone along the way had magically produced multiple bottles from Terry MacCormack's special stash. Siobhan, Dean, and Sam filled and passed around glasses for those who wanted them. As they were being handed out, no one drank early. They all just looked down at the liquid until someone spoke.

"To Terry..." Siobhan raised her glass as high as her sore muscle would allow. "The best damn Quidditch Captain I've ever met." She managed to choke out. "And an even better drinker."

"To Adalena." Fletcher stood across the Great Hall, his face and body covered in a thin layer of dirt and grime. He walked further into the space, but kept some distance to the large group. "She was a gentle soul."

"Angela O'Cassidy. One of the greatest Pranksters I will ever know." Peeves sadly nodded his head at George Weasley.

"To all those who fought today, some to their last breath," Lochan surveyed the students who were whole just twelve hours prior, and took a deep breath. "To protect those they love."

"To William. Who repented and was forgiven." Castiel said softly. Everyone quietly finished their glasses.

Off in the corner of the Great Hall, high in the eaves of the stone, sat a ghostly figure. Although mostly transparent, it was obvious that the teenager was sick at the time of his death. His body was thin and sad and his mouth seemed to be permanently frozen downwards. The spectre watched the students dedicate their drinks and softly sighed.

Fletcher felt compelled to look up at the unusual hiding spot and locked eyes with the ghost. William Prang hesitantly smiled at his friend. Fletcher shook his head and stormed out of the Great Hall and the smile melted from William's gaunt face.


	34. Family Remains

The students of Hogwarts were marched straight from the cemetery to the platform, silence following the crowd like a hymn. Their things had already been loaded and now the castle was bare. The Ministry was to hold an investigation, but promised to be finished in time for the next school year. It was decided that Amelia Prang could attend Hogwarts that term and Vampire rights were in serious negotiation. The remaining members of The Advancement of Vampire Rights scattered around the world, constantly peering over their shoulders for the Aurors and the inevitable repercussions of their actions.

Siobhan numbly sat on the train next to Vincent, across from Phillip and John. None of them said anything to each other as the train lurched away from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The trolley came around and the woman didn't bother asking if they cared for anything. She simply dumped a handful of sweets in each compartment and moved on to the next.

Finally, as the train neared King's Cross Station, Vincent spoke up.

"I can't go home."

The other three residents of the compartment slowly turned to look at him. "What do you mean?" John asked.

"My parents." He said quietly. "Terry was Muggle-born. They'll never understand why I'm so," Vincent struggled to find the right words to fit the emptiness he felt. "Sad."

Phillip shook his head. "He was our friend. They'll understand-"

"I found something when I was a first year. I was looking for one of my robes in the wash and they had a cabinet I was never allowed to go into. I looked in there and," Vincent looked down at the floor in shame. "I found masks. Like the ones in our history book." He paused, then quietly added, "Like the ones the Death Eaters wore."

"Your parents…" John's voice trailed off.

"You aren't them." Siobhan said gently to her best friend. "You were never like them."

"You'll stay with me." Phillip decided. "My parents won't care. And we're closer to the Weasleys," He nodded to Siobhan. "Than your parents."

"Are you sure?" Vincent asked, his voice uncertain. "I don't want to be a problem."

"Have you met my mother? She adopts characters on the telly." Phillip joked, making them laugh. The silence that followed was no longer as tense. It was settled; Vincent would stay with Phillip, where he could visit Siobhan as much as he wanted. He knew Mrs. Weasley would greet him with a hug and a smile, a peck on the cheek, and a plate full of food. Siobhan would be well taken care of there and she would help George with the joke shop.

All was well.


	35. Epilogue: Swan Song

**A-**

_Rose Abbot _was the star Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She helped fight in the Second Battle of Hogwarts and became injured. She recovered with the help of Jeremy Gaunt, but was never able to play Quidditch professionally, like she had planned. Rose Abbot became a broom designer for Flyte and Barker, and married Jeremy Gaunt. They had one child together before splitting up.

_Natalie Adams_ is a small first year who grew up and married a Muggle, settling down to be a magazine editor. She still uses magic regularly, much to the delight of her partner.

_Adalena Akjeel_ was murdered by Bellator Tenebrae just two days before her seventeenth birthday. She is survived by her parents and brother, who finished school three years ahead of her.

**B-**

_Shah Barr_ was a Gryffindor who was friends with Terry MacCormack, Siobhan Hesse, and Vincent Cruz. He went on to marry Jamie Sunsticket and the two moved to America.

_Orion Blackfield_ was an Auror who, in 2001, attacked Muggleborns via an enchanted form of Anthrax. He did not live long enough to be convicted of his crimes.

_Aquila Blackwand_ was a extremely small first year with a talent with fire. She joined the Ministry as an Auror, becoming a household name in the British Wizarding community. She retired in her sixties, surrounded by her four grandchildren and her husband, a fellow ex-Auror.

_Winstion Braedon_ was the Werewolf Ripper of 1888. He was charged and convicted of the murder of eighteen Muggles and sentenced to life in Azkaban, where he died via Dementor's Kiss.

**C-**

_Castiel_ is an Angel of the Lord. He taught Muggle Religions and Their Theology and was the most popular Professor of that subject. He fought in the Second Battle of Hogwarts but did not continue teaching there afterwards.

_Chelsey Callaghan_ fought in the Second Battle of Hogwarts and survived. She is still the Head of Ravenclaw at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and continues to teach Ancient Runes.

_Fergus Canis_ is a Ministry official in charge of the "Beings" department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He denied the Prang's appeal for Amelia Prang to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the beginning of this novel. He was fired after the Second Battle of Hogwarts, as was his superior. He died in his sleep, a bottle of liquor still clutched in his hands.

_Kaeley Coex_ died in the Second Battle of Hogwarts by exsanguination. It is unknown which TAVR member killed her.

_William Compton_ was a Vampire who was bewitched by TAVR members to kill in the Whitechapel District. He was killed by Sam and Dean Winchester, who reported the death to his ex-girlfriend Sookie Stackhouse.

_Adam de Cove_ was a Wizarding reporter for the Daily Prophet who was murdered by one of the Deartháirs after being told about the bewitching of William Compton.

_Crowley_ remained the King of Hell and became an unexpected ally to the Winchesters. It is rumored that he is dead, but only time shall tell.

_Vincent Cruz_ fought in the Second Battle of Hogwarts alongside Siobhan Hesse, who he married not long after they finished school. He never registered as an Animagus with the Ministry, but he did take a job as the Keeper of Treasure. He made a point to promise Siobhan that her engagement ring was bought and not stolen. Vincent Cruz's parents warned him that they would disown him if he married Siobhan. As a response, Vincent cut off any and all contact with them, never speaking to them again. Siobhan would ask her husband several times if he missed them or felt that he had made the wrong choice, but Vincent was very adamant about his decision. They stayed married and died just twenty minutes of each other, both being in their mid-nineties. They had one child, who they named Terry, in honor of Terry MacCormack.

_Terry Hesse-Cruz_ is the child of Siobhan Hesse and Vincent Cruz. He was sorted into Ravenclaw at Hogwarts and was as much of a troublemaker as his parents. He is currently in possession of the Marauder's Map.

**D-**

_Lochan Dryagomir_ is a Dragon tamer who substituted for Gryffin Hamal as the flying instructor at Hogwarts. He survived the Second Battle of Hogwarts and remained partners with Minerva McGonagall. Lochan kept in contact with Siobhan Hesse through the years, and even attended her wedding to Vincent.

**E-**

_Brutus Exitiale_ was a Deartháir who carried out the murder of Angela O'Cassidy as well as many others before and during the Second Battle of Hogwarts. He was captured in Russia and transported back to Britain, where he was sentenced to life in Azkaban. He died shortly after arriving, unable to withstand the Dementors.

**F-**

_Firenze_ still teaches at Hogwarts and remained in contact with Castiel.

**G-**

_Gabriel_ is an Archangel of the Lord and a Trickster. He was hurt that Castiel did not call him to arms for the Battle, but understood when his brother explained that it happened too swiftly. He has since faked his death and is waiting for the right time to turn into a snake and stab his brother while screaming, "Blaaaar!"

_Jeremy Gaunt_ was a third year Gryffindor Beater during the Second Battle of Hogwarts. He helped patch up students during and after the Battle, including Rose Abbot, who he later married. They had one child, then separated. Jeremy Gaunt became a Healer at St. Mungo's, specializing in Quidditch injuries.

_Lindsay Grady_ spent her time in the Second Battle of Hogwarts with Hagrid, using her magic to help save and protect the Magical Creatures she loved so much. She remained at Hogwarts, continuing to be the Head of Hufflepuff and teaching the beginner courses of Care of Magical Creatures. She married a musician and had three children with him.

**H-**

_Halia the Owl_ was William Prang's owl. She currently belongs to his sister Amelia. She likes to visit the corridor outside of the Room of Requirement, where William feeds her treats.

_Halina the Thestral_ survived unharmed in the Second Battle of Hogwarts. The following year, she received many treats and affection from the many students, now able to see her.

_Gryffin Hamal_ and Katherine Reid married not long after their participation in the Second Battle of Hogwarts. Gryffin continued to teach flying and Quidditch at Hogwarts after taking some time off to bring up J.D.. He was incredibly proud the first time their child, J.D., rode a broom by himself.

_Katherine Hamal_ (maiden name Reid) fought in the Second Battle of Hogwarts alongside Gryffin, who she married afterwards. She took several years off to raise J.D., then continued as the Transfiguration teacher.

_Jonathan Desmond (J.D.) Hamal_ is Gryffin and Katherine's only son. He is a Metamorphmagus, like his mother, and naturally excelled at flying, like his father. J.D. was sorted into Hufflepuff and made the Quidditch team his second year.

_Hagrid_ worked with Lindsay Grady to protect the Magical Creatures during the Second Battle of Hogwarts. He remained a teacher and Gamekeeper at Hogwarts.

_Siobhan Hesse_ survived the Second Battle of Hogwarts and went on to marry Vincent Cruz. She avenged her friend Terry MacCormack and named her only child after him. Siobhan still has nightmares about watching Terry die, but she does not regret killing his murderer. She registered as an Animagus and worked as a Dragonologist, writing and publishing a series of books to try to help people understand Dragons. The book series was very popular and is now in the Advanced Care of Magical Creatures curriculum at Hogwarts as well as Durmstrang. She remained friends with Lochan Dryagomir and included him in the section of the books talking about the rarity of the Dragon Patronus. She still has the book Vincent stole for her, The Unregistered Animagus In You- A Guide To Unlocking Your Potential, as well as the Marauder's Map. She was very careful to keep it away from little Terry, who managed to steal it anyways. Siobhan's eyes never changed back, and in times of great distress, her skin still ripples until it resembles scales, although she is much more adept at keeping it under control. Vincent and Siobhan died within twenty minutes of each other, unable to live without the other.

_Dwayne Hicks_ fought alongside his future partner, Ellen Ripley, in the Second Battle of Hogwarts. He was injured in the Battle, but decided to keep the facial scars visible. He and Ellen adopted a child named Newt. Newt was sorted into Gryffindor, like both her parents.

**I-**

There were no characters mentioned with a last name beginning with the letter _"I"._

**J-**

_Melody Jones_ became a teacher after the Second Battle of Hogwarts. She married Tim Shouler and they moved to France. Their favorite movie to watch together is 'A Quiet Place'.

**K-**

_Fletcher Kiliwahl_ survived the Second Battle of Hogwarts, but never mentally recovered from Adalena Ajkeel's murder. He never married, nor had any children. He moved to Bulgaria and became a Quidditch referee. He still has not forgiven William W. Prang for her death.

**L-**

_Neville Longbottom_ fought and survived the Second Battle of Hogwarts. He remained the Herbology teacher at Hogwarts and eventually became the Headmaster when Minerva McGonagall stepped down. Neville and his wife Luna Lovegood took a couple years off from fostering a "Child of Hogwarts" after losing Terry MacCormack. Neville and Luna considered him to be one of the family, and every year, Luna repaints his gravestone, a different mural each time.

_John Louex_ was a Slytherin Chaser who helped lead a group of first years down to the Slytherin Common Room. He hexed multiple TAVR members to protect the children and succeeded in keeping them safe, having no casualties or severe injuries among his group. He became the Head of Magical Law Enforcement and married Phillip Telle.

_Edward Lupin_ is the child of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. He has been raised by Andromeda Tonks and was sorted into Hufflepuff. He is an Metamorphmagus like his mother and keeps in close contact with Katherine Hamal.

**M-**

_Rosilyn Margaux_ is a Muggle newspaper author. She is now the chief editor and still wonders who commited the crimes in the Whitechapel District, a now cold case.

_Pam Mayes_ was a Ravenclaw who survived the Second Battle of Hogwarts. She died of suicide just two years later, unable to cope with the death she had witnessed.

_Terry MacCormack_ was a very popular Gryffindor Seeker, who often led the Quidditch team along with his famous drinking lessons. He considered Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom to be his parents and loved them as such. Terry was helping attack the TAVR members with enchanted Molotov cocktails after evacuating the area as much as possible. He was killed by Sic Ventus in front of Siobhan Hesse, who avenged his murder just moments after. Siobhan and Vincent leave a bottle of liquor at his grave every anniversary of his death and named their child after him. He is considered a hero in the Wizarding community and has been credited with saving over twenty students lives. Terry MacCormack is featured on a Gold series Famous Witch and Wizard Trading Card, often found with Chocolate Frogs. The glow bands from one of his famous Valentine's parties no longer glow, but every single person that was there kept them.

_Thomas MacGreen_ was a timid first year Ravenclaw who performed a complex curse on a TAVR member who was attacking another first year, Ignatia Mungtolgo. He and Ignatia would date throughout the rest of their years at Hogwarts.

_Mors Mangone_ was the leader of TAVR. He is killed by Dean Winchester after attacking Winky the House Elf.

_Minerva McGonagall_ survived the Second Battle of Hogwarts, and remained the Headmistress for many more years. She and Lochan stayed together.

_Ignatia Mungtolgo_ was a small first year Hufflepuff who was saved by Thomas MacGreen. They would date all throughout their years at Hogwarts.

_Morphinus Mutar_ was an unregistered Animagus who could transform into an adder snake, which he used to spy on the Prang household for TAVR. His body was found among the dead after the Second Battle of Hogwarts.

**N-**

_Sir Nicholas_ is the Gryffindor Ghost at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He helped protect students during the Second Battle of Hogwarts and would try to convince Peeves the Ghost to stay at the school afterwards. He was unsuccessful in his attempts. He is still at Hogwarts and has remained friends with Sam and Dean Winchester, still participating as a demonstrator for classes.

_Faeryn Nobletonic_ was the scribe for TAVR. She showed reluctance at the thought of killing innocent children and was murdered by Mors Mangrove for it.

_Carina and Jean Nott_ did not actively participate in the Second Battle of Hogwarts. Carina would later become a Genealogist, while Jean became a Healer. Neither played Quidditch after Terry MacCormack's death.

_Nate Nox_ was the Slytherin Seeker who was missing after the Second Battle of Hogwarts. He was believed to be dead, which was later confirmed by Bellator Tenebrae.

**O-**

_Angela O'Cassidy_ was the Head of Slytherin, brilliant prankster, and the Charms Professor. She was best friends with Peeves the Ghost, having known him since she first came to Hogwarts at age eleven. She fought in the Battle alongside Peeves, who witnessed her death. Angela was murdered by Brutus Exitiale, who was sentenced to prison in Azkaban. Angela is featured on a Famous Witch and Wizards card.

**P-**

_Peeves the Ghost_ helped Angela O'Cassidy in the Second Battle of Hogwarts, where he witnessed Angela's death. After the loss of both Fred Weasley and his lifelong friend Angela O'Cassidy, Peeves left Hogwarts. It is unknown if he will ever return.

_Amelia Prang_ is the little sister of William W. Prang and the daughter of Kendra Prang. She is part-Vampire and the reason why William became involved with TAVR. After the Second Battle of Hogwarts, which she was not present for, Amelia was accepted into Hogwarts for the following year. She was sorted into Hufflepuff and now resides in the "Children of Hogwarts" program. Eventually, she graduated to became the Charms Professor.

_Daniel Prang_ was the father of William Prang and was Kendra Prang's husband. He worked at the Ministry under Magical Games and Sports. He died before Amelia was born, after refusing to help the Death Eaters take over the Ministry.

_Kendra Prang_ was the mother of William and Amelia. She was checked into St. Mungo's after William's death and deemed unfit to raise her daughter.

_William Walsh Prang_ was a Gryffindor sixth year when he died at the hands of TAVR. Unable to let go, William become a Ghost. He helps his sister attend Hogwarts, but is solemn from knowing that one day, she will graduate and leave, and he will be there forever. He is relieved when she takes a teaching position at Hogwarts.

**Q-**

There were no characters mentioned with a last name beginning with the letter _"Q"._

**R-**

_Ellen Ripley_ fought in the Second Battle of Hogwarts with her future partner, Dwayne Hicks. The two adopted a girl named Newt, who turned out to be a Gryffindor.

**S-**

_Sanguini _ still lives in the same flat he had when he met Kendra Prang. He still doesn't care about her husband or his half-Vampire daughter.

_Tim Shouler_ survived the Second Battle of Hogwarts after leading all Gryffindor first and second years he could find to the Slytherin Dungeons. He grew up to be a Chaser on the Chudley Cannons professional Quidditch team. He married Melody Jones and moved to France.

_Layla Snow_ was a first year Gryffindor who fled with John Louex into the Slytherin Common Room. She would later become a celebrated pianist.

_Sorting Hat_ continues to sort children into their houses at Hogwarts and every year, it sings a song that prophesies the upcoming year.

_Jamie Sunsticket_ married Shah Barr and moved to America after the Second Battle of Hogwarts.

**T-**

_Alexandria Taurus_ survived the Second Battle of Hogwarts with minimal injuries. She became a Muggle actress and currently resides in Hollywood, California in America.

_Phillip Telle_ is still a friend of Siobhan and was present at her wedding. He participated in the Second Battle of Hogwarts by dropping the enchanting Molotov cocktails Terry MacCormack made while on his broom. He grew up to be a soldier in the British Army and married John Louex. Vincent Cruz was his man of honor.

_Bellator Tenebrae_ was convicted of the murder of Nate Nox and Adalena Akjeel and sentenced to life in Azkaban.

_Theodore_ was a member of TAVR that was murdered by Mors Mangone.

_Sybill Trelawney _ was quite solemn when she realized her prediction about the "Hanged Man" Tarot card was correct. She survived the Second Battle of Hogwarts and was ecstatic to learn that Sam Winchester was going to stay at the school to teach for another year.

**U-**

There were no characters mentioned with a last name beginning with the letter _"U"._

**V-**

_Sic Ventus_ was a Deartháir who murdered Terry MacCormack during the Second Battle of Hogwarts. He was killed by Siobhan Hesse as retaliation.

**W-**

_Dean Winchester_ is a Hunter who taught at Hogwarts during the Second Battle of Hogwarts, which he participated in. Dean killed Mors Mangone after he attacked the House Elf Winky.

_Sam Winchester_ is a Hunter who taught at Hogwarts during the Second Battle of Hogwarts, which he participated in. He accepted the opportunity to teach another year at Hogwarts. He tries his very best to avoid Trelawney.

_Winky_ continued to battle her Butterbeer addiction with the help of 'Master Dean', whom she stayed loyal to for the rest of their days.

_Desmond Woodsvine_ became a renowned astrologer after surviving the Second Battle of Hogwarts. When asked if he would ever marry, he informed people that he was married to the stars. He still loathes ink pens.

**X-**

There were no characters mentioned with a last name beginning with the letter _"X"._

**Y-**

There were no characters mentioned with a last name beginning with the letter _"Y"._

**Z-**

There were no characters mentioned with a last name beginning with the letter _"Z"._


	36. Thanks For The Memories

Thank you everyone for reading this story! I loved writing it and am open to PMing anyone with answers to your questions. If you enjoy Marvel fics (Avengers and Deadpool), see my newest series The Perks of Being a Mercenary, now posted in my profile.


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